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PARIS-Pope Benedict began a four-day visit to France on Friday with a plea to the French to keep God in their lives and let religion help create a better world.Meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in central Paris, the German-born pontiff praised France both for the deep Christian roots of its culture and the "serene and positive dialogue" between faith and power. Sarkozy, who has broken a political taboo by speaking openly and positively about the role of religion in society, said it would be "a folly" for France to ignore its long history of Christian thought about God, man and nature.Church bells rang out across Paris to greet the pope as he arrived at the Palace after his arrival from Rome for his first trip to France as pontiff."It is fundamental, on the one hand, to insist on the distinction between the political realm and that of religion," Benedict said in fluent French.It was also necessary, he added, "to become more aware of the irreplaceable role of religion for the formation of consciences (and) the creation of a basic ethical consensus within society".Roman Catholic France maintains a strict separation of church and state that has long limited faith to the private sphere. The French Church struggles with a shortage of priests and Sunday Mass attendance is below 10 percent.But religion has re-emerged as a factor in public life in recent years, especially because of the growth of Islam, and French Catholics have increasingly spoken out on social issues.As in the days of Noah...
