It is always a current of emotion that surrounds the birth of a school. This Thursday, September 1, back to school day, there were many people in the Lalande district of Toulouse for the special inauguration of the new school Jules-Géraud Saliège (1870-1956), in the presence, once is not custom, of a Minister of National Education. In this case Pap Ndiaye who has held the position since May 20.

Guard of honor for the minister in front of the school, the only public one in Toulouse which bears the name of a man of the Church, whose visit began with the “song of the partisans”, interpreted by some of the 490 schoolchildren this year, and three musicians from the Orchester national du Capitole.

Hymn to the Resistance

A hymn to the Resistance, that of Jules-Géraud Saliège in the face of Nazi barbarism. In front of a mixed audience: parents of students, teaching staff, the two directors [le groupe scolaire compte une maternelle et une élémentaire]the mayor of Toulouse Jean-Luc Moudenc, his deputies, departmental elected officials, deputies, representatives of the Jewish community, the clergy, the archbishop of Toulouse Mgr de Kérimel, his predecessor Mgr Le Gall, but also the president of the central Consistory of France Elie Korchia.

The letter from Archbishop Saliège

Pap Ndiaye, a historian by training, like those who presented him during the sequence of speeches at school, recalled the risky gesture of the Archbishop of Toulouse during the dark years of the Occupation.

In particular this famous August 23, 1942 when he takes a stand against anti-Semitism and asks for the reading in the pulpit, during the service, of this letter which will be a milestone in the history of the Resistance. The man of the Church, who has denounced anti-Semitism since 1933, has taken a step forward.

“Jews are men (…) foreigners are men”

In essence, his universal and contemporary letter denounces the atrocities committed by the occupier. “Jews are men, Jewesses are women. Foreigners are men, foreigners are women. Everything is not allowed against them, against these men, against these women, against these fathers and mothers of families. They are part of the human race. They are our brothers like so many others. A Christian cannot forget this. »

A commemorative plaque in the school

A commemorative plaque has been placed at the entrance to the school group, which includes this extract with the photo of the humanist Jules-Géraud Saliège who ended his ecclesial career as a cardinal. “You have before your eyes an illustration of politics in the noblest sense of the term”, assured Jean-Luc Moudenc.

“It’s a beautiful name, that of a man who dressed against barbarism”, a summary by Pap Ndiaye who also recalled some of the foundations of the school. “Finding your place in school, so that you can later express yourself, participate in public life, find a job, take care of yourself and your family, is one of the surest ways to live in democracy and not in a regime that promotes hatred of others”. On good terms.