Two secular associations have filed a lawsuit with the Strasbourg Administrative Court to challenge a subsidy granted by the city of Metz for the visit of Pope Leo XIV, scheduled for September 28. The Union of Secular Families of Moselle and the association Les Profanes are contesting a municipal investment of 250,000 euros.
This funding is intended, in particular, to finance the purchase of giant screens for several gathering areas. This equipment will allow the public to follow the Mass celebrated by the Pope in Saint-Étienne Cathedral. The plaintiffs have also initiated emergency proceedings to suspend the orders pending the court's decision.
Local law in Alsace-Moselle at the heart of the appeal
The two associations are asking the courts to determine whether a local authority can finance equipment directly associated with a religious ceremony. However, the 1905 law on the separation of church and state does not apply in Moselle and Alsace, where local law allows public authorities to contribute to the financing of religious services.
The municipality considers this visit an international event that transcends purely religious considerations. Leo XIV is to conclude his European-focused trip to France in Metz, following stops in Paris on September 25th and Lourdes on September 27th. The administrative court must now rule on the request for suspension and then on the legality of the subsidy.
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