Bally Bagayoko assumes the Christian heritage of France before the arrival of Leo XIV

Friday evening, Bally Bagayoko will be one of the elected officials from Seine-Saint-Denis who will welcome Léon XIV at the Stade de France, before the prayer vigil bringing together 80,000 young people.

The meeting, revealed at the start of the week by Le Parisien, should notably allow the sovereign pontiff to discuss with the mayor of Saint-Denis and several territorial authorities of the department.

A few days before this meeting, the LFI councilor, who defines himself as Muslim, gave a long, unexpected interview to say the least to the Catholic media Tribune Chrétienne, in which he assumes the Christian heritage of France.

“We cannot understand our country without understanding the influence of Christianity over fifteen centuries of its history,” says Bally Bagayoko.

“Our heritage, our architecture, our literature, our painting, our music, our calendar, our landscapes and a considerable part of our culture bear this imprint,” he continues, believing that “a France which knows its history is a more solid France”.

In Saint-Denis, where the cathedral basilica is located, the necropolis of the kings of France, this question takes on particular resonance.

“As a Muslim mayor, I have no difficulty recognizing this reality,” he assures.

“Respecting the faith of others begins by respecting their history.”

The mayor particularly emphasizes the Christian dimension of the basilica, while the reconstruction of its spire has fueled a local debate for several months.

“Respecting this heritage means recognizing what it is. A profoundly Christian monument, linked to Saint Denis, to the history of the Church in France and to French monarchical history,” he explains.

“I am Muslim. This in no way prevents me from deeply respecting this Christian symbol.”

“France does not need to choose”

Asked about the French who fear a relegation of Catholic identity in the face of the progression of Islam, Bally Bagayoko says he understands “that some of our fellow citizens may feel worried about the profound transformations in French society”.

He believes that we must be able to talk about it “without immediately accusing some of racism or others of Islamophobia”.

But the mayor refuses to oppose Christianity and Islam.

“The increase in the visibility of Muslim citizens does not mean the disappearance of the Christian history of France,” he asserts.

“France does not need to choose between its Christian heritage and its Muslim citizens.”

Although he recognizes “a particular historical and cultural depth” in Catholicism, Bally Bagayoko refuses to draw from it “a hierarchy of citizens or rights”.

Rather, he defends a “new France” which does not erase its past.

“The new France is not a blank slate. It is a France which adds chapters to its history and which continues to enrich itself.

“Secularism is not amnesia”

This concept is found in his definition of secularism.

“Secularism is not amnesia,” says the mayor of Saint-Denis.

If the public authorities must not favor any religion, it does not, according to him, have to “erase the religious history of the country”.

“In Saint-Denis, we must be able to say to a Muslim child: ‘This basilica is part of your French history’,” he explains, while hoping that the Christian child knows that his religious history “has its place in the history of this city.”

“Secularism must be neither a weapon against religions, nor a way of denying the historical place of Christianity. It must be the guarantee that no one can impose their faith on others,” he insists.

The mayor also says he is ready to be present “at Christmas, at Easter, at a celebration or at a heritage event linked to the basilica”, not to participate in worship but to show his “respect” and his “friendship”.

“I become the mayor of all”

Bally Bagayoko also embraces her Muslim faith.

“My Muslim faith is part of who I am,” he said, while marking a separation from the exercise of his mandate.

“When I walk through the door of town hall, I do not become the mayor of Muslims. I become the mayor of all.”

On social issues, he recalls that abortion is “a right protected by our legal order” and that he “obviously does not intend to oppose the town hall to women who exercise this right”.

His faith can fuel “questions or reservations” about the end of life, while he believes that LGBT people must be protected “against discrimination, violence and humiliation”.

A few days before the arrival of Leo