At the New Year's ceremony for some religious leaders held at the Elysée Palace on 8 January, French president Emmanuel Macron called on them to be “ambassadors of fraternity” and to teach secularism.

Christian Krieger, president of the Protestant Federation, told AFP news agency after the ceremony that “the president is counting on us to be those ambassadors through brotherhood, example and interfaith dialogue”.

According to several participants, Macron put the example of a visit made, away from the cameras, by various religious leaders to a school in Seine-Saint-Denis on 9 December 2024, to illustrate that fraternity.

“He told us that at such a difficult time, it is important for religious leaders to be able to express themselves and play a unifying role”, added Chems-eddine Hafiz, rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris.

120th anniversary of the separation of church and state

During a 45-minute speech, Macron, who was with prime minister François Bayrou and interior minister Bruno Retailleau, also talked about the 120th anniversary of the 1905 law on the separation of church and state, which defines French-style laicité.

He told the religious leaders of France presence at the event that “secularism is not an excluding concept, but a space for exchange and sharing”, explained Antony Boussemart, representative of the Buddhists of France, also speaking to the press.

End of life law

The end of life law was another topic addressed by the French president, who confirmed that he was “ready to meet again with religious leaders to talk about it”.

But he told them that they “would have to choose the lesser evil”, pointed out the chief rabbi of France, Haïm Korsia.

Antisemitism and the dialogue with Muslims

At the end of his speech, Macron stressed the importance of strengthening dialogue between the State and Muslim communities, with the aim of “giving fellow Muslims a full sense of belonging to the nation”.

He also talked about the fight against antisemitism, “an issue that has a European dimension and we will remember it at Auschwitz on 27 January, during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the extermination camp”.