Led by Father Jean-Marie Lustiger, the Catholic chaplaincy of the Sorbonne, the Richelieu Centre, tackles issues of inequality in several ways, both to reproduce them and to fight against them. The theme is prominent in the decade and becomes central with the student movement of May 1968. Our communication will distinguish two periods.
During the first one, which extends from 1960 to the movement of May 1968 included, the chaplaincy constitutes a place where the Catholic division between clergy and laity continues. It overlaps the separation between a teaching Church and a taught Church. Nevertheless, many testimonies demonstrate the proximity between chaplains and students, invested with many responsibilities. Parity is also the norm between students. The traditional Catholic differences, although maintained, therefore seem to be blurred.
The chaplaincy also seeks to address inequalities: faced with the massification of student numbers in the faculties of science and arts, it seeks to support these students, less favored than those from the Grandes écoles or other faculties. It offers more personalized support and closer links with the university's professors.
Finally, in the context of the Cold War and third-world claims, chaplaincy also constitutes a relay for voices who engage in this cause.
During the student movement of May 1968, Jean-Marie Lustiger maintained this triple line.
It is therefore less the student movement of May 1968 than the following academic year (1968-1969) that constitutes an important divide in this relation to inequalities. Within the chaplaincy itself, disputes and demands arise concerning the internal functioning of the chaplaincy, as well as the inequalities of gender and between clergy and laity within the Catholic Church. We will examine to what extent these realities were debated and followed up by the chaplains.