"We do not let go": in Versailles, the Catholics demand the return of mass

REPORTAGE

“Freedom! Freedom!” They chant under the drizzle.

The Catholic faithful are losing patience.

During the weekend, several rallies were held across France to demand "the return of mass", banned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sunday evening, while a regrouping had been prohibited earlier in the day in Paris, believers gathered in Versailles, on the square of the Saint-Louis church. 

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"Our faith needs to be nourished spiritually. We Catholics believe in the real presence. At the time of Mass Jesus is there. We need to receive Jesus", affirms Catherine, mother of a Versailles family.

Mass is a vital sacrament, tell these Catholics, impossible to live through an interposed screen. 

"We will be there, we will not let go"

Grégoire, 23, yells at the inconsistency.

For him, the health risk is under control in a church.

"We wash our hands, everyone wears a mask, the distances are respected. It's a question of responsibility. Our ministers insist on the essentiality of our lives. For us, it is not limited to the races and the job."

The demonstrators point the fingers of politicians disconnected from the spiritual life, yet "refuge" in times of crisis. 

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"I think the ministers do not realize the depth of the malaise they have organized. But we will be there, we will not let go," insists Françoise, 72 years old.

This faithful says he is ready to invest the roundabouts, as did the yellow vests.

Hoping that an agreement will be found quickly between the clergy and the executive.