The responsibility of a newspaper is not to dictate conduct. During an election period, our role consists, among others, of informing the choice of our readers. If it is a question of directing them, this is understood in the sense of giving benchmarks and not of hammering out slogans or instructions. Sometimes, however, circumstances require you to take a clear and straightforward position. This is the case today. The historic threat posed by an election of Marine Le Pen leads The cross to support Emmanuel Macron in view of the second round of the presidential election.
Without detour does not mean without reserve. There is a lot to be said about the results as well as the project of the outgoing president. Among the first reasons given by Catholics who have decided not to vote for him are the extension of abortion times, the extension of PMA and the prospect of euthanasia. The cross shares these concerns and will continue to express its relentless opposition. But we must be lucid: on this subject, the gap is immense between the concerns of French society and those expressed by the Church and its faithful. What constitutes a hard point in the eyes of the latter was not the subject of any question during the debate on Wednesday evening.
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Situating reflection on this level alone leads to blindness to other essential points. Marine Le Pen is a far-right candidate. Its program carries the risk of irreparable damage to the balance of power, to religious freedom and to the basic principles of solidarity with the poorest, starting with migrants fleeing war or poverty. His project is unifying only in name: the nationalism that constitutes its backdrop inevitably ends up producing division and violence, as tragically illustrated by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
When war is raging in Europe, there are other urgent matters than opening a front with Germany or risking a paralysis of the European Union. Marine Le Pen’s affinities link her to Trump and Putin, declared adversaries of the EU. Those who are constantly undermining the camp of democracy by all means would be the first to rejoice in its victory.
The renewal of Emmanuel Macron would not magically make the deep fractures that run through French society disappear. He is no longer the new man who burst onto the political scene a few years ago. The French know its limits. They have seen his procrastination on ecology, are annoyed by his liberalism or his claim to incarnate on his own the camp of reason. We have to resolve it: the re-election of an incumbent is rarely a vote of enthusiasm. However, in our view, it remains the only desirable option. But it will have to lead to an in-depth reconstruction of our democratic institutions and in particular of political parties so that they oppose each other on healthier divisions.
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If the position of The cross is the same as in 2017, the circumstances have changed. Opinion has hardened, the attraction to extremes is stronger, and Catholics are no exception. For our newspaper, this means assuming a disagreement with some of its readers. With no other ambition than to affirm important values for life in society and to honestly serve the public debate.
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