From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


France: Church Leaders Urge Voters to Participate in May 5 Vote


From "Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>
Date Wed, 24 Apr 2002 11:09:54 -0500

Call to Affirm 'Liberty, Equality and Fraternity'

STRASBOURG, France/GENEVA, 24 April 2002 (LWI) - Lutheran and
Reformed churches from the Alsace and Lorraine region in France
are urging voters to participate in the May 5 final round of the
presidential election in the country.

In a joint press statement following the result of the first round
in which far-right leader Jean Marie Le Pen beat political rival
Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin by less than 195,000 votes,
the churches called on "all those who would be tempted to stay
away" to instead "assume their responsibility in order to affirm
without failure the values of the republic: "liberty, equality and
fraternity." President Jacques Chirac emerged the winner with over
5.6 million votes.

After the result of the first round of the French vote was
announced April 22, there was generally an outpouring of surprise
locally and from abroad that the vote favored Le Pen, who has been
accused by his rivals as being a racist and anti-Semitic. French
voters have expressed themselves, "and we should not judge them.
We must listen to their concerns-and more so-their protest," said
Rev. Dr. Marc Lienhard, president of the Church of the Augsburg
Confession of Alsace and Lorraine (ECAAL) and Rev. Jean-Paul
Humbert, President of the Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine
(ERAL) in a joint statement.

Both church leaders called on people to "stand firm against
demagogy, [and] demonization of the opponent" during these
difficult times. They stressed the need to allow room for
reflection and dialogue, and beyond the partisan lines prepare the
necessary political and social reforms that would reduce fears and
frustrations and liberate people's energies and initiatives. Such
an approach would be the price to pay for a social life in which
everyone can feel secure and also benefit from decent life
conditions and equal justice for all, they noted.

The ECAAL and ERAL representatives noted that churches are not
supposed to advise people on which way to vote. But they are
called to reaffirm their convictions and to say in particular that
"living together in our country cannot be brought about through
hatred and exclusion but by showing respect for the other."

Chirac who garnered 19.88 percent of the total vote against Le
Pen's 16.88 and Jospin's 16.18 percent will meet Le Pen in the May
run-off.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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