Comment: Notre-Dame reopening shows France’s bizarre religious contradiction

There was a popular joke in the old Soviet Union concerning the failed campaign to wipe out religion. 

Karl Marx had stated “Communism begins where atheism begins,” and everything was done to curtail the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, despite its millions of devout followers. 

Many churches were demolished, and before the faithful entered those that remained they were told by sinister commissars: “You’re fine to look around, but don’t let us catch you praying.” 

Such bleak humour might be applied to France as Notre-Dame cathedral reopens this month after the devastating fire which came close to destroying it in 2019. 

President Emmanuel Macron has hailed the building as “the epicentre of national life”, while playing down the religiosity that should rightly surround it. 

This is, of course, because France is now a staunchly secular republic, which is not meant to glorify places of worship. 

Thus, Mr Macron – himself a Roman Catholic – will fudge the celebrations when he takes part in a public mass at Notre-Dame in December. 

Read more: Paris Notre-Dame cathedral to open on December 8 with first Mass

It will be held just outside the cathedral, and – crucially – the head of state will not take Communion. An Elysée Palace aide told me: “This would not be appropriate when a French President attends a service in his official capacity.” 

The Eucharist – the sacrament in which bread and wine commemorating Christ are consumed – is at the centre of the Catholic faith, so foregoing it during such an important ecclesiastical event is certainly unusual. 

Read more: Notre-Dame cathedral belfry bells ring for first time since 2019 fire

This bizarre contradiction says so much about French identity, and the way a seemingly eternal loyalty to Catholicism works alongside the officially rigid separation of Church and State. Notre-Dame’s reopening is a magnificent occasion whatever you believe in. 

The Gothic masterpiece, which dates back to the 14th Century, is arguably France’s greatest historical treasure. It was saved from destruction during the 1789 Revolution, and indeed in 1871, when Paris Communards piled furniture inside in an unsuccessful attempt to burn it down. 

General Charles de Gaulle, an extremely devout Catholic, was shot at by snipers outside the cathedral in 1944 during the Liberation from Nazi rule, and then took sanctuary inside, unscathed. 

More generally, the cathedral dedicated to Our Lady was etched into the national consciousness by Victor Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, which explores all the universal themes of humanity, including mortality and fate. 

When the book was published in 1831, censuses revealed that some 98% of French people declared themselves to be Catholic. 

This figure was still as high as 80% in 1950, with 25% saying they attended church every Sunday. France does not compile any statistics about religion nowadays, but the percentages would obviously be far lower. 

There has been a huge move away from organised worship, while those who practise Islam and Judaism – the other two great monotheistic religions dominating France after Christianity – often display a far stronger adhesion to their faiths than followers of the Church of Rome. 

Despite choosing to become a Catholic himself, aged 12, Mr Macron has made it clear that he does not practise, and seldom mentions that he went to a Jesuit school. 

Yet, as we have heard in numerous speeches since the 2019 Notre-Dame fire – which is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault or stray cigarette – he still views the cathedral as the beating heart of France. 

There are strong cultural reasons for this, of course, but trying to disassociate an awe-inspiring icon venerated by millions around the world from at least a limited sense of spirituality would be absurdly cynical.