The Privilege of Catholicism in France

This paper explores the ongoing, but transforming power and privilege of Catholicism in France by arguing that Catholic signs and actors have achieved the status of ‘banalization’. I borrow this concept from the late Stéphanne Charbonnier. Charbonnier was the editor Charlie Hebdo. He was killed along with 9 of his colleagues when two gunmen entered its offices on January 7, 2015, avenging the magazine’s publication of disturbing representations of the Prophet Mohammed. In explaining his magazine’s persistent production of images that clearly offended many, ‘Charb’ explained ‘we have to keep at it until Islam is as banalized as Catholicism’.

With his comparison between Islam and Catholicism, ‘Charb’ acknowledged the very different power held by Catholics and Muslims in France. Like so many, however, he did so by implying that this inequality was a Muslim problem and arguing that ‘blasphemy’ is a fundamental right. The right to blaspheme, however, begins from the assumption that there exists an equal ground from which to critique, banish, or regulate religion, that somehow the public sphere is a blank slate from which satire can be mounted. ‘Banalization’, that is, implies a presence that cannot be threatened or threatening, a sight that neither stands out, nor requires disciplinary action. I destabilize this neutral ground by analyzing the political implications of Catholicism’s ‘banal’ status and exploring the powerful and privileged circulation of Catholic symbols and sites in Paris.