Conservative French Presidential Nominee's Unusual Tactic: Tout His Faith
In the heavily secular country, Catholic Francois Fillon has been the only one of 11 candidates to speak openly about his religion. It may be keeping his scandal-tinged campaign afloat.
With his coiffed, salt-and-pepper hair and stoic demeanor, Francois Fillon looks like a president out of central casting. The 63-year-old conservative, a former prime minister under Nicolas Sarkozy, is even serious and prim at his campaign rallies, where his passionate supporters clap and chant his name.
"I'm not asking you to like me, but to support me," he told one crowd at an April 9 rally. "We're not choosing a buddy. We're choosing a president."
Fillon is also a practicing Catholic, and the
