The Catholic Church, “too discreet when it comes to denouncing injustices”, according to a faithful, this time decided to take its part in the debate on police violence and racism.
This Friday evening, in Villepinte, around fifty young Christians, in the presence of the bishop of Saint-Denis, took part in a “Stations of the Cross” to pay tribute to the victims of violent arrests, of racism in general, and in favor of living together.
Live on YouTube
The event took place inside the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul church, health security measures oblige. As a procession – symbolic reference to the Passion of Christ and his last hours before being crucified -, readings of biblical texts and songs on the theme of tolerance. The ceremony was broadcast live on YouTube.
“For those who have lived or lives in Seine-Saint-Denis, police violence is a reality that can no longer be denied,” summarizes Stéphanie. For this 29-year-old lawyer, “very active” in the parish of Villepinte, “public opinion discovered this phenomenon with the yellow vests, but in the suburbs, we already knew. Maybe people said to themselves: They are young delinquents, black, Arab, they live in the suburbs, they must have deserved it ”, analysis, weary, Stéphanie. Who specifies that she “was never the victim of violence at the hands of a police officer”, but witnessed it, as close, in particular, of the family of Théo Luhaka.
“Vivid emotion” faced with images of the death of George Floyd
But what does religion do in this debate? “I am a woman, black and commuter. I would have a thousand reasons to cry hate. But what keeps me from sinking is faith, ”she says. “Among Catholics in the 93, especially young people, the emotion was very strong when we saw the images of the death of Georges Floyd. This is where we must put forward the values of Christianity: love, living together, tolerance … This is the beginning of a solution to this anger, “says Stéphanie again.
For his part, Eugene welcomes the organization of this Stations of the Cross. “The church has a role to play. Because when she is silent in the face of violence, police or other, it saddens me. When she does not speak out against injustices, when she does not get wet – perhaps for fear of shocking certain faithful? – it saddens me. The brotherhood it advocates is then not represented, “analyzes the young man of 26, at the end of business studies.
“Young Catholics want to take their place in this debate”
He was present at the demonstration in support of Assa Traore, Adama’s sister, who died after an arrest by gendarmes in 2016, who gathered 20,000 people last week before the Paris court. “It is because the young Catholics want to take their place in this debate and regret that the Church does not do it, that they are the initiators of this celebration in Villepinte, that they called the bishop on the subject ”, thus welcomes Eugène.
And the chosen form of the “Way of the Cross”, this ritual tribute to the last hours of Jesus, his torment at the time of being crucified, according to religious texts, is “consistent”, analyzes also Eugene. “It is a question of telling those who suffer from violence that we, the young Catholics, we share their suffering, that we help to carry it, and that we take our share”, concludes the young man.
“We have all seen the terrible images of the death of Georges Floyd, who upset the Seine-Saint-Denis, multicultural par excellence, where 150 communities rub shoulders. Obviously, it resonates louder here, and this way of the cross, as well as the discussions that took place upstream, are an answer ”, explains the bishop of Saint-Denis, Mgr Pascal Delannoy. Recalling the recent study by Harris Interactive which indicates that a third of the inhabitants say they are victims of discrimination.
