France is deeply divided on the End of Life issue, columnist Marc Derœux writes. Is it possible to find a way out?

Let newcomers come to our churches and learn the French language and culture. As Christians, we are privileged and ready to help newcomers from Thailand and other far-away countries, says Marc Derœux.

The start of the new school year in France was marked by a public debate about the so-called abaya. Gabriel Attal, the recent young Minister for Education, has made the garment a national cause in defence of French secularism. But by doing that, he caused a debate in our own family as well.

Angry people, burning cars and cracked shop windows. That is the picture of Paris that the world sees this week. But there is more. Also, Christians know to work for the common good in this city.

On 11 November 2022, the newspaper Le Monde ran the headline "Ocean-Viking": the arrival in Toulon is "the end of a three-week ordeal".

Between the first and second round of the presidential election, France is in turmoil. Of course, the polls give the advantage to the incumbent president Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen. But it is such a small advantage that some people fear that the far right is on the doorstep of power.

Recently, the news has been full of reports about sexual abuse. I have been very active on that topic for the last couple of years. Together with some other people, I wrote a small book on fighting against it. And soon, I will be starting a listening service for victims.

In the past few weeks, I have been verbally abused twice while using a zebra crossing. The first time, I was walking to my office from home at noon.