France Considers Earlier Reopening of Religious Services, Including Mosques

"I had indicated that we would have to wait until June 2 for services and prayers open to the faithful to be held again in places of worship," says Edouard Philippe in the Senate, adding that he knows that the period from May 29 to June 1 corresponds, for several faiths, to important festivals or stages in the religious calendar. The Prime Minister is referring to the Shavuot holiday celebrated by Jews from May 29 to 30, and Pentecost celebrated by Catholics and Protestants on May 31.

He assured that if the health situation does not deteriorate in the first few weeks after the lifting of confinement, the government is ready to study the possibility that religious services can resume from May 29.

The Conference of Bishops of France had reacted to the deconfinement plan, specifically to the June 2 date imposed on Catholics and all faiths instead of May 11. "We share the government’s concern to limit the spread of the epidemic as much as possible, but we fail to see how the ordinary practice of mass favors the spread of the virus and hinders the observance of barrier gestures more than many activities that will soon resume," it had stated.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), for its part, intends to follow the decisions of the health authorities.