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| A survey reveals that Catholicism is declining in France. The French Catholics today form an aging-part of the population with a majority of women. They vote more and more for right wing political parties. Are you surprised by these results? How will it evolve in the future? |
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| I am not surprised at all. This decline has started in the 70’. It is still going with an erosion of their number and a loss in influence on the public opinion. We are in a society engaged in a process of secularization. We should avoid any identitary reaction and avoid rejecting all of the new culture. A relationship between faith and culture has always to be built. |
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| The present situation should invite us to promote ways of handling societies’ problems rather than to trigger changes in the existing structures. In a new world in full gestation, the Church is called to be ferment. It offers a dimension of transcendence and a source of human dignity that can usefully enlighten the great debates in the society. |
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| The Kurd question is coming back again. After 25 years, Ankara thinks about negotiations and Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurd leader, is offering proposals for peace. You have often defended the Kurd people, what are your comments? |
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There is hope. This 25-year conflict has produced 40,000 deaths among 17,000 civilians. The repression against the Kurds has been terrible. Why to have waited so long when it was known that there were no military solution? I wish that negotiations would be established quickly between Ankara and the Kurds in order to recognize the Kurd identity, their political and cultural rights. That includes recognizing the autonomy of the Kurd territory and the usage of their language. Abdullah Ocalan should be freed after 10 years in prison. |
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| The Taliban are holding in check the western coalition. The Taliban regime was defeated in 2001 and since, the international coalition has not been able to re-establish peace and to develop the country waited by the Afghan people. You are against war; then how do you envisage a fight against terrorism in Afghanistan? |
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| Today, the Taliban can pursue their attacks anywhere and at any time, even in the heart of Kabul. Last July, 22 British soldiers have been killed, the majority of the people of the United Kingdom now wish the withdrawal of their soldiers from Afghanistan. The same in France. The public opinion thinks that war is not a solution and that it will not bring peace. Bringing more troops to Afghanistan will solve nothing. |
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Foreign countries never succeeded in changing a country by force. I agree with many that we are not in Afghanistan for the good of the people but rather for geopolitical reasons. A hard page, that will necessitate negotiating, has to be turned off. |
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