(LifeSiteNews) — A new report raises the alarm over government overreach into Catholic education in France, as officials are said to have been conducting “abusive” inspections.
The report was published by the General Secretariat for Catholic Education (SGEC) in France on December 8 and details “intrusive” and “abusive” inspections by state actors in Catholic schools.
The report says state officials have at times used “disproportionate shows of force” during the inspections. Sometimes, they reportedly arrived unannounced in groups of 10 to 16, roaming the school buildings without accompaniment, photographing classrooms, interrupting classes, questioning students, and even searching their private belongings. Some teachers report that inspectors entered classrooms without identifying themselves, going through students’ notebooks, and interrogating staff members in front of pupils.
The teachers said that they were questioned about their religious practice, e.g., whether they attended Sunday Mass. Principals reported being pressured to take down religious symbols in schools or remove Christian references from school projects, even though these demands directly contradict the recognition of the right of Catholic schools in French law.
School staff described a climate of fear and anxiety. Some inspectors sent critical reviews to local officials containing potentially defamatory or contested claims to denounce the schools.
As the National Catholic Register reported, the conflict between the French government and Catholic schools goes back to the revelations of physical and sexual abuse at Notre Dame de Bétharram, a Catholic boarding school in southwestern France. This led to a parliamentary inquiry and ultimately to a parliamentary report calling for stricter oversight of Catholic schools to protect children.
However, it appears that these abuse cases are being used as an excuse by the secular state to crack down and bully Catholic institutions. The relationship between the state and the Church has been strained for centuries in the country, dating back to the French Revolution in 1789.
President Emmanuel Macron’s government has been on a mission to tighten its control of education, including restrictions on homeschooling and scrutinizing Catholic schools. During a visit to the Grande Loge de France in May of this year, Macron praised the anti-Christian values of Freemasonry as foundational to the Republic.
While applauding the Freemasons’ pro-euthanasia stance, Macron said: “That Freemasons should have this ambition to make man the measure of the world, the free actor of his own life, from birth to death, should come as no surprise. I welcome it.”
“The Republic is more than at home in Freemasonry, it is in its heart and soul,” he said, and affirmed that “Freemasonry is at the forefront of the crucial battle we must fight if we want to mold the times for the good of humanity.”
The secretary-general of Catholic education, Guillaume Prévost, said they published the report because “we could not continue letting our teachers be humiliated.”
He stressed that he does not oppose government oversight, but that it must be conducted in accordance with a sound legal framework and with due professionalism, discernment, and restraint.
The Ministry of Education responded to the accusation by stating that the inspections are conducted under a strict legal framework and confirmed that questions asked to identify a student’s religious beliefs are not permitted. “If there have been failings, all consequences will be drawn,” the ministry stated.
More than 2 million students are currently enrolled in Catholic educational institutions all over France.