Montreal Archbishop Christian Lepine said the coming weeks will present a prime opportunity to learn whether there is any leeway to host a public prayer event after Bill 9 became law in Quebec April 2.

This act to bolster state secularism — also known as laïcité — explicitly restricts collective prayer and other religious practices in the civil square unless municipal authorization is granted.

Lepine said his team will file an application to again host an outdoor candlelit procession starting from Mary Queen of the World Cathedral following Mass to commemorate the Feast of Corpus Christi. Approximately 4,000 Catholics from Montreal participate in this event each year.

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In 2026, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ falls on June 4.

“It is a very important day that gathers a lot of people, so it will actually be the next test on how (the law) works,” said Lepine. “We are going to make the moves to ask for permission to do it from the city and police. For the last 25 years, there was never a problem, but we are going to ask for it and see how it goes.”

Hypothetically, if a written request does not make any headway because of the new restrictions spawned by the law, Lepine said the archdiocese would seek an in-person dialogue.

“If a letter does not work, then we will have to meet people and talk to them,” said Lepine. “What are people afraid of? What are the legitimate fears?

“If you look at Article 3 of the (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) from the United Nations,” continued the 74-year-old prelate. “It articulates together life, freedom and security. Freedom, yes, not at the expense of security. But security, yes, but not at the expense of freedom. I think we have a good starting point with the declaration. Up to now, whether it's the Canadian Constitution, the (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) or the declaration, the right principles are there. We will have to go back to the basics and promote those actions. We'll have a dialogue on those specific issues.”

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Lepine will also be in a position to state that security issues have never arisen during any of the previous Corpus Christi processions and that the archdiocese has enjoyed solid cooperation with law enforcement.

“Actually, the police are even glad of being there for us when we do processions,” said Lepine, “so I'm hopeful.”

Noting that the application process is more complicated, Lepine shared that people of faith in Quebec need to learn the spirit of this law through its usage.

“Do we want to restrain freedom of religion, or is it about ensuring better security? I think to ensure better security is very legitimate, but if it's about restraining the possibility for religion to be seen in the public square, that's something else,” he said.

In the aftermath of the National Assembly of Quebec adopting Bill 9 with a 78-26 vote on Holy Thursday, Lepine and Quebec's bishops immediately expressed their “great disappointment” in a statement, saying they “are sorry not to have been heard by the government.” They argued the “state is already secular and that the legislation in force until now was amply sufficient to regulate religious practices in the public space,” and repeated their fears “about measures that limit fundamental rights without convincing justification.”

Lepine reiterated that while the provincial government might be secular, society is pluralistic.

“The role of the state is to be at the service of the society in these different components and beliefs,” said Lepine. “It's really to be there always in the context of security and social peace, but it’s still to be there at the service of the society as it is. So, in society, there are different beliefs — whether people believe in God, or they don't believe in God — (and) ways of seeing life.”

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Bill 9 also bans subsidized daycare workers from wearing religious symbols, prohibits public institutions like hospitals from only offering food based on a religious tradition (halal or kosher meals) and phases out public subsidies for faith-based private schools over the next three years.

Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the notwithstanding clause, was invoked pre-emptively to safeguard Bill 9 from constitutional challenges.