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The Front National and Catholicism: from intégrisme to Joan of Arc and Clovis
Author(s) -
Davies Peter
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
religion compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.113
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1749-8171
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2010.00237.x
Subject(s) - front (military) , interpretation (philosophy) , politics , religious studies , front line , latin americans , arc (geometry) , position (finance) , history , sociology , political science , philosophy , law , geography , geometry , linguistics , mathematics , finance , meteorology , economics
The relationship between the Front National and religion has never been straightforward. Jean‐Marie Le Pen, the party’s leader, comes from a Catholic background, and many of his policies are rooted in traditional Catholic teaching. The FN’s interpretation of French history is based around religion and its main political icons – Joan of Arc and Clovis, for example – are chosen precisely because of their heroism and Catholic‐ness. In fact, the FN is the latest in a long line of far‐right movements to position themselves close to the Church. But the situation is complicated by the fact that the party is loyal to the Latin Mass and for many years was dominated by an ‘integrist’ or ‘fundamentalist’ faction. Electoral data also suggest that for all its ‘Catholic values’, the FN is not that popular with regular churchgoers. In summary, the FN is an interesting movement with a curious relationship to Catholicism and the Catholic Church.