Brigitte Bardot: "I Have No Admiration Whatsoever for What Francis Says and Does”

 

Faith is in me", "I have faith" and "religion is part of me but I don't practise it", Brigitte Bardot, who turned 90 on 28 September, told Aleteia.org (21 September).

Bardot is a former sex symbol and French actress who later also became an animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known faces of the sexual decadence that began in the 1960s.

After a strict Catholic upbringing, she still has "a passion for the woman I call 'my little virgin' [= Our Lady]".

In La Garrigue, one of her villas in Saint Tropez, France (the exact address is not known to the public), she has built "a very small oratory" for the Virgin, where she feels "wonderful peace".

"When I go to my chapel, my animals sometimes follow me," she explains: "Because it's so small, only dogs can get in. If it were bigger, I wouldn't be shocked to let my donkey in, for example". Bardot believes that St Francis of Assisi is the big hero of animal welfare. She also loves Padre Pio.

Now the former actress suffers from double osteoarthritis in her hips and uses two walking sticks, so she doesn't go to her private oratory as often.

But she is "proud" of her faith, which she doesn't practise. At the same time, she is "horrified to see all these outrages being done to churches. It's a sacrilege!"

Bardot is not happy with the Novus Ordo: "I think the Mass has lost its mystery and a certain warmth of soul. When I was a child, I went to church every Sunday with my parents. I remember the mystery that emanated from that magnificent place. The priest celebrated with his back to us, in Latin. It's a shame that this has been modernised. Celebrating in front of the faithful gives me the impression of a theatrical performance. I'd call myself a traditionalist. I'd like to see a return to the Catholic religion with more respect and importance. There are so many people of good will and deep faith who no longer practise. So many churches are closed. You can't even go in to pray. It's tragic."

On Bergoglio: "I have no admiration whatsoever for what Pope Francis says and does. I wrote to the Pope twice, happy to know that he was taking the name of Francis and convinced that he would do something for animals. I never received a reply."

Picture: Brigitte Bardo 1962, 2006 © wikicommons CC BY-SA, #newsGrinfsbkev