Quebec City to Remove Crucifix from Council Chamber in Secularism Move
In a significant move towards reinforcing the secular nature of state institutions, Quebec City officials have decided to remove the crucifix from the city council chamber. The crucifix will be preserved in a heritage collection, aligning with the broader provincial initiative to eliminate religious symbols from government spaces.
According to the CBC, the crucifix will be added to Quebec City’s collection of ethno-historical artifacts. This decision emerged after a lengthy advisory process involving a commission on “inclusion,” which concluded that the crucifix did not align with the chamber’s role in representing democratic and religious neutrality.
The advisory commission, which featured elected officials, community representatives, and the Wendat Nation chief, consulted with both legal and historical experts to reach its recommendation.
The crucifix initially adorned the council chamber in 1936, was removed in the 1970s, and later reinstated about ten years later. The piece was crafted by artist Jacques Bourgault.
Mayor Bruno Marchand, in September, endorsed the commission’s conclusion that the chamber should reflect state neutrality. This stance diverges from that of former Mayor Régis Labeaume, who had kept the crucifix in place in 2019, emphasizing its historical significance against the backdrop of secularism. The 2019 Bill 21, titled “An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Quebec,” underscores the province’s commitment to secularism in public institutions.
In 2019, Quebec’s National Assembly also removed a longstanding crucifix from above the Speaker’s chair in the Blue Room, marking a pivotal moment in the province’s secularist shift.
Recently, the Coalition Avenir Québec government introduced Bill 9, aiming to extend secularism measures established under Premier François Legault, including Bill 21.
In a related development, the Quebec government proposed a ban on public prayer in September, which drew criticism from religious figures. Archbishop Christian Lépine of Montreal criticized the measure, arguing it could undermine fundamental freedoms in a democratic society, as reported by the Catholic News Agency.
Lépine cautioned that banning public prayer might inhibit communal actions during times of economic, social, and environmental challenge. “At its core, to forbid public prayer would be somewhat like forbidding thought itself,” he stated in a letter dated Sept. 2.
He further argued that such a proposal would conflict with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Quebec’s own Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Lépine suggested that a law of this nature could have potentially prevented Pope Francis’ 2022 visit to Canada, which included a stop in Quebec City.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
