French Military Chaplain Faces Disciplinary Action After Leaked Sermon Attacks Left-Wing Politicians

Leaked sermon in Carcassonne

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces initiated disciplinary action on 18 September 2026 against a military chaplain assigned to the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (3e RPIMa). The inquiry follows the publication of a video recorded on 7 October 2025 inside Saint-Michel Cathedral in Carcassonne. The recording was made during a mass marking the feast of Saint Michael, the patron saint of paratroopers. In the footage, the chaplain addressed troops and local officials while delivering a politically charged homily. He criticized government officials as incompetent ideologues and mocked vegetarians. He then instructed the gathered soldiers to tell leftists to calm down and breathe through their nose, prompting laughter and applause from the audience.

References to far-right rhetoric

The sermon continued with remarks resembling the far-right replacement theory. The priest warned the soldiers that unless they maintained their convictions, France would be ridiculed and other values would replace French culture and society. He encouraged the paratroopers to keep fighting with courage. Le Canard enchaîné noted that the phrase used by the chaplain to mock leftists mirrored wording delivered in September 2024 at the National Assembly by Christophe Barthès. Barthès, a National Rally politician who sat in the front row during the 2025 service, was elected mayor of Carcassonne in March 2026. His office declined interview requests on Friday, stating that he will address the matter during the municipal council session on 24 September 2026.

Political condemnation across the left

The release of the video drew swift condemnation from left-wing political leaders across France. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise, described the remarks as racist insults and seditious speech. Socialist Party First Secretary Olivier Faure called the excerpt unbelievable and criticized the priest's confrontational tone.

“Assuming he has a place in the Catholic Church, he has none in the French military.”

Bastien Lachaud, a lawmaker from La France Insoumise, called for the immediate dismissal of the chaplain from the military ranks. Lachaud also questioned why an entire regiment would applaud the priest's political remarks during an official religious service.

“The military chaplain, like all military personnel, is bound by a duty of reserve. The military cannot take sides. It must obey the elected authority.”

Ministry response and military neutrality

Military authorities responded to the controversy by reiterating strict neutrality requirements. Xavier Rival, spokesperson for the French Armed Forces General Staff, described the chaplain's words as inappropriate. Rival stated that obligations of reserve and political neutrality apply to all service personnel, including religious chaplains. Military officials stated that the chaplain received a formal reprimand from the regiment command immediately after the mass in October 2025. Sources from the Catholic diocese indicated that the priest had been cautioned twice in 2025 and again in September 2026. The chaplain previously issued public apologies at the conclusion of the 2025 service and submitted written apologies to elected officials who expressed disapproval. Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin ordered the formal disciplinary investigation on Friday.