President Sarkozy visiting the Pope

PRESIDENT Sarkozy is meeting the Pope today in what is being interpreted as an attempt to win back Catholic voters.

Polls showed that 71 per cent of French Catholics supported him when he was elected, but that is down to just 50 per cent today.

The president is also thought to be trying to smooth relations with the Catholic church after some French bishops criticised the recent expulsions of gypsies. The Pope himself was interpreted as having criticised the policy when, in a speech in French in late August, he said it was important to “welcome legitimate human diversity”.

Sarkozy’s tête-à-tête with Benedict XVI is expected to last about 20 minutes. He will also be going to Saint Peter’s for a “time of reflection” and to listen to a prayer for France read by a French cardinal, before having lunch at the French embassy. He had asked for the visit, the third since his election, a month ago, in the middle of the controversy over the expulsions.

It is seen as his latest bid to rekindle Catholic support after a visit to Vézelay Basilica in the Yonne at the end of last month, where he praised France’s “Catholic heritage”.

Christian Democratic Party leader Christine Boutin recently handed parliament a petition signed by 45 Christian associations, including Secours Catholique, denouncing new tougher immigration laws under debate.

Photo: Fabio Pozzebom-ABr