Ségolène Royal Confronts Right-Wing Campaign Against Algeria
Ms. Ségolène Royal, the former socialist candidate for the French presidential elections and president of the “Algeria-France Association,” confronted attempts to sabotage Pope Leon XIV’s visit to Algeria. These attempts were led by French political figures and media outlets sharing far-right leanings and targeting Algeria.
Ms. Royal posted a tweet on her “X” account, attacking the French magazine “Paris Match,” known for its right-wing tendencies, which had published a lengthy, offensive article targeting Pope Leon XIV personally and, by extension, Algeria. Ms. Royal, who visited Algeria about two months ago, commented on the French magazine’s lies, addressing it: “Churches are not closed or prohibited in Algeria. Beware of spreading information aimed at distorting Pope Leon XIV’s visit to Algeria for dishonorable reasons (the motives of which are unfortunately very clear)”.
She continued, rebuking the magazine, owned by the far-right businessman Vincent Bolloré: “Consult Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, who can confirm to you that churches are not only open but also protected and maintained.” She added: “Algerians remember that during the horrific Algerian War, clergy in Algeria, like Archbishop Léon-Étienne Duval, denounced torture and all forms of military violence, supported the urgent need for independence, and called for a solution based on respect, equality, and peaceful coexistence against the colonial logic, which would have allowed Europeans to stay, as he himself did”.
The former French minister, who consistently praises her father’s stance criticizing French colonialism in Algeria during the War of Independence, expressed her support for interfaith dialogue and her admiration for the positions of some Christian clergy during the revolution. She wrote in her tweet: “Rejecting the militarization of religion, General (the bloody) Jacques Massu was prevented from entering the cathedral armed”.
Ms. Ségolène Royal re-circulated an excerpt from the “Paris Match” article under criticism and commented: “Today, more than ever, amidst the world’s chaos, interfaith dialogue is essential, and anyone who wishes to work for peace should welcome the Pope’s visit to the land of Islam instead of distorting it, for the sole reason that it shows the absurdity of the tensions maintained by voices between our peoples, which make hostility towards Algeria a shameful trade”.
The right-wing magazine published a lengthy article claiming that Algeria is closing churches, restricting religious freedom, and targeting Christians. These accusations were previously denied by Talal Khreis, Director of the Vatican’s National Information Agency, in an interview with “France 24” two days prior.
Despite the loaded questions directed at him by the “France 24” journalist, who tried to trap him into confirming what “Paris Match” had written, the high-ranking Vatican official set the record straight, affirming that the Algerian constitution distinguishes between state and religion, respects religious freedom in its articles, and refused to be swayed by what was said.
Moreover, Talal Khreis went further, considering the situation of Christians in Algeria to be much better than in many other countries, where “they are killed, displaced, persecuted, and their religious symbols desecrated.” He also stressed that “Algeria remains truly open to and guarantees all religions, and one cannot speak of absolute democracy, because it does not exist in any country in the world”.
