Emmanuel Macron will go to the Grand Orient de France on Wednesday, which is celebrating the 250th anniversary of its appellation, for an exchange with several Masonic denominations during which he could notably discuss the delicate subject of the end of life.
After Emile Loubet (1899-1906) and his predecessor François Hollande, he is only the third President of the Republic in office to travel to rue Cadet, in Paris, to the headquarters of the Grand Orient, the main French obedience of Freemasons, noted Tuesday his entourage.
The occasion of his visit is the 250th anniversary of the moment when the Freemasons of the Grand Lodge of France decided to call themselves Grand Orient, and the Head of State wishes to demonstrate the “recognition of the Republic” to his respect, according to the Elysée. “French Freemasonry worked hard to build the Republic, particularly the Third Republic,” explained an advisor to journalists.
Repairing the “link between Church and State”
After a visit to the Lafayette and Corneloup temples, Emmanuel Macron will participate in a lunch offered by the Grand Master of the Grand Orient Guillaume Trichard, in the presence of the Grand Masters of other Masonic obediences (Grande Loge de France, French National Grand Lodge, Human Rights, Female Grand Lodge of France, traditional and symbolic Grand Lodge Opera).
According to the Elysée, they will discuss subjects linked in particular to secularism, ardently defended by Freemasonry, some circles of which had little appreciation for the speech given by the president in 2018 before the Conference of Bishops at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris.
Emmanuel Macron then said he wanted to “repair” the “link between Church and State”, “damaged” in particular by the standoff over homosexual marriage – comments sometimes considered as a departure from the separation of Church and State. This “misunderstanding” has “dissipated over time”, assured the presidential advisor, estimating that the Grand Orient “shares” the desire of the Head of State to preserve “national unity” – a hammered priority for a month facing the risks of importation into France of the conflict in the Middle East.
Bioethics questions
The lunch should also make it possible to address questions of bioethics and in particular “the question of the end of life and the bill which is being developed”, continued this advisor. The president should then address it in a speech, he added, without saying whether he will reveal the content of the text in preparation or whether he will specify the timetable.
The bill must theoretically be presented in December to the Council of Ministers. At this stage, the creation of “active assistance in dying” remains dependent on Emmanuel Macron’s decisions.