Prime Minister François Legault’s Twitter post on the occasion of Easter received a wide response on Friday evening’s program “Le monde à l’envers” and raised the question of the separation of church and state on the one hand, and the presence of faith in society on the other Quebec.
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Father Marc Lahaie was present to speak about faith in an interview with Stéphan Bureau, in response to the controversy sparked by the tweet from the Prime Minister of Quebec: “Catholicism has also created in us a culture of solidarity that sets us apart on a continental level,” before adding, “We need to differentiate between secularism and our heritage.”
If for the host it is “a good debate Christ,” for the clergyman the separation of religion and state is essential.
The Abbot also raised the issue of faith, which he believes is more taboo today than gender orientation.
“I think whether we’re talking about religion or politics, we need criticism […], but the criticism lacks nuance,” he said, admitting that he had suffered many criticisms and insults when he became a priest. “I’ve thought about being a priest since I was 10, but I didn’t start talking about it until high school.”
He also recognized that if priests in particular were allowed to marry, the labor shortage faced by the Catholic Church could be addressed.
The issue of sexual orientation was also raised with Debbie Lynch-White speaking about her new documentary series which spotlights polyamory and sexual exploration, with transparency and communication being the main characters.
Finally, the Quebec parents, who took their children around the world before they went blind, were in attendance for their first interview since returning to talk about their year-long journey, newfound stability and uncertainty about the family’s future.
These parents gave up everything a year ago after learning that three of their children had retinitis pigmentosa, which promised them a future in the dark.
Pierre-Yves Lord, Guy Nantel, Yasmine Abdelfadel, Sophie Durocher and Serge Denoncourt were the week’s debaters.
“Le monde à l’envers” is shown on TVA on Fridays at 8pm.