Letter to the Editor

Dear Sir,

It is not all that usual to receive interested commentary on an article but following the publication in the Summer issue of Studies (Vol. 95, No.378) of my article ‘Religion and the Civic Space in France and Ireland’, some readers have asked me to clarify the distinction between the civic and public space. The res publica, is, literally, the public thing, and it refers to the all-embracing public space from which no one is excluded because of beliefs or lifestyle. Although we speak of a res publica, it is more accurate nowadays to think in terms of a res civilis, that is, the sphere sponsored by state/local authorities or over which these authorities have direct control (state and municipal buildings and schools and hospitals supported by taxation). The public sphere embraces a whole culture and, within liberal democracies, accommodates the expression of beliefs by individuals and groups, for example, the holding of processions and the placing in public places of advertisements and notices (giving, for example the times of religious services). The only civic condition to the exercise of these rights in the public domain is the rule of law that normally proscribes provocative activities and the promulgation of material likely to cause offence or to incite to hatred. In other words, the notion of the public space is much more encompassing than that of the civic space. Somewhat ironically, and also an indication of the pervasiveness of religion in European culture, even in France religion can find a profile within the civic space. For example, an eminent theologian, the late Yves Congar OP, has spoken of the shared understanding that developed between priests and people through the presence of chaplains in the civic space of the French army. In 2004 a collection on the Passion in Catalan art was widely advertised in public spaces all over Paris and it took place within the civic space of the Musée National du Moyen Âge. I hope this provides the clarification that was sought by perceptive and interested readers.

Kevin Williams, Mater Dei Institute, Dublin City University