France requires “health passport” for bars, restaurants -- but not for attending Mass

President Emmanuel Macron of France has mandated that only people who possess a “health passport” attesting they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to participate in cultural and recreational events attended by more than 50 people.

But in introducing the plan on Monday, he did not mention whether such a pass would be required to attend religious ceremonies.

The office of French Prime Minister Jean Castex told La Croix the very next day, however, that it would not be required. 

During an inter-ministerial meeting on Tuesday it was decided that "because of the constitutional protection from which they benefit, places of worship cannot be subject to the health passport". 

The controversial health passport 

Father Gwenaël Maurey, rector of the basilica and shrine of Sainte-Anne d'Auray, said the extension of the health passport for religious ceremonies would have been "a normal measure".

The priest, who is overseeing preparation for a large annual gathering on July 25-26 known as the Grand Pardon, said he would have welcomed extending the measure to churches. 

"The health passport is an act of charity, to protect others," he said.

But Father Guy-Emmanuel Cariot, rector of the Argenteuil Basilica, said he was relieved not to have to check the health passports of his parishioners, because he does not see how this measure would have been put into practice.

"It would have raised a lot of questions for us: how would we have monitored this health passport? Who was supposed to check it? Would it have protected us from variants?" he wondered. 

He said the health measures currently in place are "already sufficient" to protect parishioners.

"The key word has been discipline"

In recent weeks, the easing of protective measures was carried out in three stages between May 19 and June 30.

The faithful were invited to sit in every third seat, then every second seat, until the limits were completely removed.

The protective measures (wearing a mask, keeping physical distance and using hand sanitizer) are still in force, even though a certain relaxation is perceptible. 

While the measures are respected during parish Masses, wedding celebrations often give rise to more carefree attitudes, with families and friends removing their masks and hugging each other.

Church officials say that even though health passports are not required to attend Mass, people must still be vigilant. 

"The key word has been discipline: the parishioners understood the need to respect the health rules," said Father Cariot.

"Even if there are always exceptions, almost all the people who attended the ceremony went along with the health measures," added Father Maurey.

"The majority of the Church's congregation is elderly. People whose health is fragile have not felt comfortable coming back to Mass," he pointed out.  

This anxiety echoes the difficulties of certain places of worship in enforcing health measures.

During the Easter celebrations in April, for example, several parishes were accused of not respecting protective measures.

Consequently, "the introduction of a health passport in places of worship could have resolved these concerns and reassured parishioners", opined Father Maurey.

Health passports and the freedom of worship

The question of introducing a health passport for access to places of worship revives the dilemma put forward a few months ago, between closing places of worship for health reasons and protecting freedom of worship. 

While the state of health emergency lightened in May 2020, public religious ceremonies remained prohibited.

A number of Catholic associations and individuals appealed to the Council of State, denouncing what they considered to be an injustice.

In the end, it was ruled that maintaining the "general and absolute prohibition" of public gatherings in places of worship constituted "a serious and manifestly illegal infringement" on the freedom of worship.