French Catholics split over Pope's comments

Comments made last week by Pope Benedict XVI, when he rejected the use of condoms to fight Aids, continue to make the headlines here in France.

First came political criticism from the foreign ministry, which said it expressed "its very strong concern about the consequences of the statements."

Then there was the decision by French television to carry the on-screen logo of Sidaction, the HIV-Aids awareness campaign, during its weekend programming - including for the first time the retransmission of all religious services.

Now it's the turn of the French in general and more specifically the country's Catholics to express their disquiet, with the release of two separate polls this past weekend.

And, if the polls are to be believed, the results show that they seem to be having some problems coming to terms with what the Pope said.

The first was published in the national daily, Le Parisien, on Saturday and conducted on the newspaper's behalf by Conseils-Sondages-Analyses, CSA.

According to the poll 57 per cent of the French in general - regardless of religious belief - have a "negative opinion" of the Pope following his statements.

Perhaps even more surprising though is the number of French Catholics who hold that point of view - 55 per cent according to the survey with only 29 per cent saying that they held a "positive opinion" of the Pope.

Admittedly the figures looked a little different when those who said they regularly attended church services were asked with 52 per cent saying they still held an overall "good opinion" of the Pope as opposed to 28 per cent who didn't.

Another poll in the national weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, and conducted by L’Institut français d’opinion publique, IFOP went even further and asked France's Catholics whether they thought the Pope should resign or retire.

While 54 per cent said he shouldn't, 43 per cent thought he should although the trend was reversed when asked whether he represented the values of the Catholic church - 49 per cent saying he didn't as opposed to 22 per cent who thought he did.

On issues which reflect the changes there have been within French society, there was also the widely held opinion (again among French Catholics) that the Church had to modify both its statements and position in several areas including contraception (83 per cent), abortion (77 per cent) and homosexuality (69 per cent).

Of course opinion polls are always open to interpretation and there's no disputing that they can also be influenced by those commissioning them and the composition of the questions.

But a similar survey also conducted on behalf of Le Parisien last September, perhaps puts the most recent ones into perspective.

It was carried out just before the Pope's three-day visit to this France when millions turned out to celebrate Mass both in the capital Paris and later in Lourdes in the south-west of the country.

At that time, among the French in general, 53 per cent of those questioned said they had a "positive opinion" of Benedict XVI.

Around 51 per cent of France's 63 million population say they are Catholic.

Religious programmes to carry Aids logo during Sidaction

Reverberations are still being felt here in France over the comments earlier this week made by the Pope when he rejected the use of condoms to fight Aids

Following the foreign ministry's criticism of Pope Benedict XVI's comments, now comes the turn of French television in a move which surely sends a clear signal as to the way many feel in this country.

Starting Thursday evening and finishing on Sunday is the annual Sidaction "weekend".

Sidaction is an organisation set up in 1994 which aims to raise money and awareness of HIV-Aids.

The annual event is a time when many national television channels carry the logo of the organisation throughout the entirety of their programming and a number to call to make donations.

With the exception that is, of the religious broadcasts on public television on Sunday morning.

But this year will be different, according to a story on the website of the weekly news magazine, Le Point.

It says that the number two at French public television, Patrice Duhamel, has also asked for the logo and number to appear on-screen during the retransmission of ALL the religious programming - including that of the Catholic Mass.

"It's a collective decision that has been taken," France Television confirmed to the site of 20minute.fr although it was reluctant to make a direct link between the Pope's remarks and the change that will take place for the first time.

As usual, France 2 will also broadcast a special two-hour variety programme during prime time viewing on Saturday evening featuring a host of celebrities from the world of French music and cinema.

In total 11 television channels both private and public will carry the logo of the Sidaction on-screen throughout the entirety of the programme schedule, including TF1, M6, Canal+, Arte, W9, and LCI.

In addition five national radio stations will carry message telling listeners how to make donations and provide constant reminders that it is Sidaction weekend.

Over 4,000 volunteers will man the 'phone as people call in to make their pledges and there are 350 events planned up and down the country to raise money in support of Sidaction this weekend according to Le Point.

Vatican rejects French nominated gay ambassador

Diplomatic relations between France and the Vatican aren't exactly at an all-time high.

In fact it wouldn't be unfair to call them somewhat strained - and that's in spite of the Papal visit to this country last month.

Twice France has attempted to appoint a new ambassador to the Holy See, and twice the Vatican's perhaps less than enlightened response has been a polite but definite refusal.

The post became vacant last December, coincidentally on the eve of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the Vatican, with the death of the then ambassador Bernard Kessedjian.

Paris - or more accurately, the French foreign ministry, looked around for a replacement and came up earlier this year with the 61-year-old writer and journalist, Denis Tillinac.

On the face of it Tillinac seemed like a sound choice. He was a close friend of the former French president, Jacques Chirac, and of course was a devout Catholic.

Just one slight problem - he had been married, divorced and was now remarried. So the Vatican said something along the lines of "grazie, ma non grazie" (although probably much more diplomatically) and rejected his nomination.

So the search began again and at one point there was talk of putting forward another writer - this time in the shape of the internationally acclaimed political historian, Max Gallo.

But finally the French settled for Jean-Loup Kuhn-Delforge, this country's former ambassador to Bulgaria, and currently head of the Consular Affairs Directorate at the foreign ministry in Paris, and a career diplomat.

But this is where you might be forgiven for thinking that perhaps Paris knew what the outcome of his nomination might be from the start.

For although Kuhn-Delforge is a practising catholic and has been in a long and stable relationship, it's with another man. He's openly gay.

So it perhaps came as no surprise last week that, as reported in the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, the latest French attempt to fill the vacant post was once again politely but most firmly rejected.

Now it might strike you odd that the Pope might be able to sanction visiting a head of state who has been married three times and divorced twice - as he did just last month, but has a problem with that same country's diplomatic representation "back home" being either divorced or gay, but that's the way it is.

So France is scouting around for another possibility and has, according to the national daily Le Figaro, come up with the current ambassador to Russia, Stanislas Lefebvre.

The 61-year-old is married (and has remained so to just the one woman) with four children, so should by all accounts fit the bill.

But there again, there's no telling.

France awaits arrival of Benedict XVI

A word of advice if you're planning a trip to France on Friday, especially if you're scheduled to arrive at Orly airport, south of the capital, Paris. You might to rethink your travel arrangements as you could be held up for a while.

Just in case you hadn't already guessed from the headline, the Pope will be arriving late morning (11h15 to be precise) to begin a three day visit, and security is likely to be at a maximum.

When Benedict XVI (or Benoit XVI as he's known here in France) touches down he can expect to be met by the assembled hoards of Vatican watchers, media hacks and just the plain curious who will be there to greet him.

That's not forgetting the faithful who've come to catch a glimpse of the head of the Catholic church of course, nor the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy and the first lady Carla-Bruni Sarkozy, who are expected to welcome him officially to France on this, his first trip as Pope.

That has raised a few eyebrows here in France, as it marks a break with protocol which would normally have the prime minister, François Fillon, greeting the Pontiff and then accompanying him to the president's official residence, the Elysée palace.

Benedict XVI will be in France until Monday lunchtime and not surprisingly the agenda is packed by anyone's standards, let alone that of an 81-year-old. He'll take in the French capital on Friday and Saturday followed by a day and a half in Lourdes in the south west of the country.

The national daily Le Figaro assures us that there'll be a minimum of French red tape with only a handful of services restricted to those with passes. Otherwise "the public ceremonies require neither registration nor reservation. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for as many who wish, to join in," it says.

Here's just a taster of the Parisian leg of his trip. For a complete rundown you can look at the schedule as published in Le Figaro.

After his meeting with Sarkozy, he'll see representatives of France's Jewish community and that'll be followed by an afternoon visit to the Collège des Bernardins, where he'll meet representatives from the French cultural world (invitation only).

Later on there'll be a trip through the Latin quarter in the Popemobile towards Notre Dame. For Parisians it'll be the only time they'll be able to get really close to the Pope.

In the evening he'll celebrate Vespers at Notre Dame with priests and other members of the Catholic church, a service that'll be relayed to the public outside the cathedral on giant screens.

Afterwards Benedict XVI will address the Catholic Youth who will have gathered outside the cathedral, and there will then be a procession "Chemin de lumière" (the way of light) - minus the Pope - to Esplanade des Invalides. It's a space that can hold up to 200,000 people.

The Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois will lead a service there. Again the Pope is not expected to be present.

And overnight there'll be the chance for young (an old alike) to gather and await a service at 10 o'clock the next morning when the Pope will lead Mass.

At 4.30pm - another reason to give Orly airport a wide berth - he'll leave for Lourdes and the second part of his visit until his scheduled departure at lunchtime on Monday.

How exactly the French will respond to Benedict XVI was a question put to Cardinal Vingt-Trois by the popular daily, Le Parisien. And he had had an interesting perspective on how the French in general view the Pope - particularly in relation to John-Paul II to whom they (the French) often apparently start off any reply when asked their feelings about the current Pontiff.

"That's normal. John-Paul II was the Pope for 27 years," he responded.

"He came to France on average every two or three years.

"The Pope, for the French, remains John-Paul II. There is also an inherent difference in the personality of the two men", he added.

"Benedict XVI is not a man who loves crowds. He is much more introverted."

Anyone planning a trip to France or who's already here can find out all the information they want from three different (official) websites - once again courtesy of Le Figaro. One in French and the other two in French, English, German, Italian and Spanish.