French Court Orders Marseille to Reschedule Religious Film “Sacred Heartâ€
A French administrative court has mandated that teh city of Marseille reinstate screenings of the faith-based film “Sacred Heart†after the city government canceled its broadcast, citing concerns over secularism. the ruling, delivered on Saturday, October 25, underscores a growing debate over the boundaries of religious expression in public spaces.
the film, a docu-fiction presented as an ode to the Christian faith and the figure of Christ, premiered in early October and quickly drew an audience of nearly 200,000 viewers. Though,shortly before a scheduled screening at the Château de la Buzine — a municipal cinema operated by the city of Marseille — the town hall,led by a left-leaning coalition,revoked permission for the showing. Officials invoked the 1905 law concerning the separation of churches and the state as justification for their decision.
the cancellation sparked immediate backlash, notably from conservative and far-right political figures. Senator Stéphane Ravier and the film’s directors, Sabrina and Steven J. Gunnell, swiftly launched a legal challenge, decrying the move as censorship. “A serious attack on freedom of expression,†they argued in their petition.
The court sided with the plaintiffs in a six-page order, emphasizing that restricting access to the film — which is otherwise only shown daily at one other cinema in Marseille — would unfairly limit public access. The judge reasoned that simply showing a film with religious themes in a publicly-owned cinema does not inherently violate the principle of secularism.
“This broadcast does not express recognition by the municipality of a religion,does not mark a religious preference…and does not have the effect of granting a direct or indirect subsidy,†the court stated. The ruling effectively rebuked the city’s interpretation of the 1905 law, asserting that it was applied too broadly in this instance.
According to a statement released by the court, the mayor of Marseille “caused a serious and manifestly illegal attack on freedom of expression and freedom of artistic creation and distribution†through the deprogramming.
Senator ravier celebrated the court’s decision, telling AFP, “It is a great satisfaction to have obtained confirmation from the courts that the mayor of Marseille showed censorship. There was no promotion of one religion over another in this program but an artistic work.â€
the city of marseille has indicated it will comply with the court order. In a brief press release, officials stated they had “taken note of the decision†and would “of course be applied and the film (broadcast) as initially programmed.â€
This controversy extends beyond the immediate screening dispute. The film’s directors previously reported facing resistance from the RATP and SNCF — France’s national rail and public transport operators — who refused to accept advertisements promoting “Sacred Heart.†The series of obstacles raises broader questions about the accommodation of religious expression within France’s traditionally secular public sphere.
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