Catholics demonstrated, Sunday November 8, 2020, to be able to continue celebrating Mass, as here in Paris, on the forecourt of Saint-Sulpice church -

Francois Mori / AP / SIPA

“I do not want to send the police and gendarmes to verbalize believers in front of a church, of course, but if it is a repeated act and clearly contrary to the laws of the Republic, I will do it this weekend.

"The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin warned, this Friday, that he would not hesitate to" send the police and gendarmes to verbalize "the Catholics who would demonstrate Saturday and Sunday for the reopening of masses, as they plan in particular in Nantes, Bordeaux or Paris.

At the microphone of Franceinfo, Gérald Darmanin added that there would be "no more weekend of leniency".

"Of course freedom of worship is very important, we have also left places of worship open (...) but life is more important than anything, and life is to fight against the coronavirus", continued the one who asked the prefects at the beginning of the week to tighten the control of containment.

Gérald Darmanin will bring together "the representatives of the main cults this Monday"

Gérald Darmanin also indicated in the evening on his Twitter account that he would bring together “for the second time the representatives of the main religions this Monday morning”, in order to discuss “the conditions under which ceremonies could be held again in the places of worship according to the evolution of the health situation ”.

Practice of worship during confinement.

My message to believers ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ajT4kpMSaV

- Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) November 13, 2020

Catholics have planned several demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday to demand that they can continue to celebrate Mass, suspended during confinement.

They were notably authorized Sunday in Paris, on the square of the Saint-Sulpice church, and in Nantes, where a rally had already gathered 500 people last weekend.

"In view of the terrorist and health context, this demonstration will have to be held according to precise modalities", specified the prefecture of Loire-Atlantique, indicating that the gathering could not take place in front of the cathedral but on the place Graslin, at a fortnight minutes on foot.

Bishop Michel Dubost called on Christians to be "patient"

The demand for a demonstration "provides for a number of participants at least equal to or greater" than the 500 people who gathered in front of the cathedral on November 8, again indicates the prefecture, assuring that "the right to demonstrate is a fundamental right of democratic countries , constitutionally guaranteed in France ”.

In Lyon, on the other hand, the apostolic administrator Mgr Michel Dubost called on Friday in a press release, Christians to be "patient" and not to come together after the call to the faithful to demonstrate on Sunday: "Do not gather together. , neither outside nor inside churches and show our ability to respect the frameworks given to us in the name of public health.

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