PARIS — As they get to know their new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, a loyal ally of President Emmanuel Macron who had been remarkably low-key earlier than taking one of many prime jobs within the land, the French are additionally discovering that he has a considerably uncommon behavior: He likes to butt heads.
As an alternative of the greeting that many French use to say hi there — two, and in some locations even three or 4, kisses on the cheeks — the 39-year-old former protection minister has been repeatedly noticed in his first days in workplace giving light head-butts to male colleagues.
Though not new, it’s obtained French media speaking — and digging into the prime minister’s previous earlier than politics, when he toyed as a youngster with the concept of changing into a monk.
Le Monde and different French publications say Lecornu’s method of greeting folks — largely males, however generally ladies, too — with gentle temple-to-temple bumps stems from time he spent at Saint-Wandrille Abbey, a neighborhood of about 30 Benedictine monks within the Normandy area northwest of Paris.
The naturally discreet Lecornu, citing causes each private {and professional}, has mentioned he finds it troublesome to speak publicly about what attracted him to the opportunity of becoming a member of them.
“I don’t like to speak about it, but it surely’s true,” he mentioned, drawing a deep breath, when requested in 2024 on France’s Tv’s “Quelle époque !” chat present whether or not it was correct that he had thought of changing into a Benedictine monk.
The host, Léa Salamé, rapidly adopted up.
“What moved you above all is the way the monks have of greeting one another, brow to brow,” she mentioned.
“Oh, not simply that,” replied the then-defense minister.
“I had a second in my adolescent life, a interval of discernment, as we are saying, however which is a really intimate interval. I don’t actually like speaking about that as a result of, for one, I characterize the state as a minister and the state is impartial. And so I’m an incredible defender of secularism.”
He then added: “Because you requested me the query: Sure, after I was 16.”
The Benedictines are a non secular household of largely contemplative monks that’s thought of the oldest non secular order within the Latin ceremony Catholic Church. It dates to 529 AD and follows the Rule governing monastic life attributed to St. Benedict of Norcia.
Catholic monks do variations of the temple-to-temple greeting when exchanging the signal of peace at Mass. Usually, they seize each other’s forearms and lean in, aspect to aspect in a modified kiss-kiss greeting that avoids touching and virtually resembles a fashionista air kiss.
When Lecornu took workplace on Wednesday, greeting authorities colleagues at a handover of energy at Matignon, the workplace of France’s premiers, he gave conventional two-cheeked “bises” kisses to feminine colleagues, together with Catherine Vautrin, the labor minister within the outgoing authorities, and Rachida Dati, who served as tradition minister.
However male colleagues, together with outgoing International Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, obtained temple-to-temple bumps from the brand new authorities boss who has but to call his new Cupboard.
Lecornu additionally gave a temple-to-temple greeting to senior presidential aide Patrice Faure at a gathering that night.
Jean-Louis Langlois, a civilian volunteer on the greater than 1,300-year-old Saint-Wandrille Abbey, informed The Related Press on Friday that the temple-to-temple contact is known as an accolade.
“Tilting your head to the fitting, and the temple touches that of the opposite, on the aspect of the face, in the meanwhile after we trade an indication of peace,” mentioned Langlois, who hasn’t met Lecornu.
“It’s a very lovely gesture,” he mentioned.
—-
Related Press Vatican correspondent Nicole Winfield in Rome and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris contributed.
