In the summer of 1905, the Catholic cassock, and whether to ban wearing it in the streets, sparked a passionate debate in France. For Charles Chabert, a leftwing MP, the black ankle-length soutane was not just an affront to modernity but a reminder of the threat the monarchist Catholic Church posed to the secular republic that he, and his colleagues, sought to consolidate with a bill enforcing a strict separation of state and religion.
1905年夏天,围绕天主教长袍,以及是否应该禁止在街上穿着教袍,法国曾展开一场激烈辩论。左翼议员夏尔•沙贝尔(Charles Chabert)认为,长及脚踝的黑色教袍不仅是对现代性的侮辱,还提醒人们:君主制主义的天主教会对崇尚世俗的共和国构成威胁。为了巩固世俗共和体制,他和同事们正推动一项法案,强制执行严格的政教分离。