Catholic Bishops of Quebec, Canada, Concerned that Government wants to Prohibit Prayer in Public - FULL TEXT Letter

The Catholic Bishops of Quebec, Canada, published the following open letter from Mgr Laliberté on prayer in public spaces, which is being threatened by the government of the province.
PRAYING IS NOT DANGEROUS
Laval, December 9, 2024
The Catholic bishops of Quebec are deeply concerned about the erasure of people and communities of faith from Quebec's public space, as recently called for by several stakeholders. The idea of ​​banning prayers outside places of worship, in particular, seems to us to miss the target of promoting peaceful coexistence in the territory of a secular state.

Such a ban would be unenforceable. Public parks host all sorts of practices that require temporarily limiting access to a given area: think of a game of ball or soccer. That some of these practices claim a more or less affirmed spiritual or religious dimension is just as legitimate. If this is prohibited, who will check, for example, the level of adherence of a person performing a sun salutation in a yoga class?

Furthermore, a religious group may organize a public gathering for purposes other than prayer, such as raising funds for an organization that helps people in poverty, or enjoying a moment of shared relaxation. Should we then seek to ensure that no prayer is recited during a food drive or before a friendly meal? How can we identify a prayer, and above all, why would we seek to do so? Praying is not dangerous.

It must be recognized that the practices targeted by such a proposed ban are not all public actions of believers, but those of minority religious groups that are perceived as different and, for this reason, threatening to Quebec identity. Let us remember that every identity is transformed and nourished by varied contributions. The Catholic religion, for example, has long been an integral part of Quebec identity! For their part, like Pope Francis, the Catholic bishops are of the opinion that sincere and benevolent interreligious dialogue is essential today to build a resilient society in these times of environmental and socio-economic crises.

The secularism of the State , an institution responsible for administering the laws and regulations necessary for social peace and providing essential services to the entire population for the common good and the protection of vulnerable persons, does not require the secularism of society . The latter is composed of individuals, families and groups who freely associate with each other for various legitimate reasons and purposes. One of these is the collective expression of religious beliefs.

The importance and legitimacy of this purpose are recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), in Article 18: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance." The very existence of this article, as well as the provisions of the Quebec (1976) and Canadian (1982) charters of rights on freedom of conscience and religion, also demonstrate the very real risk that authorities will attempt to confine associations for religious or spiritual purposes to the private sphere. In this area, the fundamental documents of contemporary living together remind us that it is essential to act with great caution, in order to respect the rights and dignity of all persons.
+ Martin Laliberté, PM É.
Bishop of Trois-Rivières
President of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec
Source: https://evequescatholiques.quebec/fr/news-item/lettre-ouverte-de-mgr-laliberte-sur-la-priere-dans-l-espace-public - Image of Bishop Martin Laliberté, from his Facebook Page