Pope to find unlikely ally in France's Sarkozy

Pope Benedict and French President Nicolas Sarkozy would appear to be unlikely allies in a battle to inject more Christian values back into Europe.

Yet when he welcomes Benedict to France for a four-day trip to Paris and Lourdes starting tomorrow, Mr Sarkozy, twice divorced and now married to ex-supermodel Carla Bruni, will likely have the German Pope nodding in agreement more than once.

Mr Sarkozy, who considers himself a "cultural Catholic" and attends Mass only occasionally, has been calling for a more active role for religion in public life and greater recognition of Europe's Christian roots.

Only last Saturday in Sardinia, the Pope said Italy needed a new generation of Catholic politicians committed to using their religious beliefs to shepherd the country's future.

While no one expects the Pope to go that far in France, where the split between the Church and state is enshrined in the national identity, Pope Benedict is expected to push for what he has called "a healthy secularism".

"I know people accuse me of being much too interested in religion ... I am not questioning the secular system," Mr Sarkozy said last January after making a string of positive comments on faith and repeatedly citing God in speeches abroad.

Since the introduction in 1905 of a law on laicite - the French concept of the separation of Church and state - bringing religion into public affairs has been a major taboo.

But Mr Sarkozy has branded this a "negative laicite," and wants a "positive laicite" that would value the hope faith brings and allow state subsidies for faith-based groups, Christian or not.

Pope Benedict and Mr Sarkozy might mention this in short speeches after their meeting at the President's Elysée Palace tomorrow. "Everybody is waiting to see what they say," said Frederic Lenoir, editor of the French bimonthly Le Monde des Religions.

French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran told the Italian Catholic newspaper L'Avvenire he expects the Pope to speak of "healthy secularism" at the Elysée Palace, his first stop after arrival.

But Catholicism in France, known as the "eldest daughter of the Church" due to its deep Christian roots, is anything but healthy.