Public Lecture—Professor Weiler

In this public lecture, Professor JHH Weiler discussed ‘Church and state in an age of secularism’.

Te Kauhanganui Tātai Ture―Faculty of Law was honoured to welcome Professor J.H.H. Weiler to present the final lecture of the International Winter series 2023.

Watch the lecture recording here.

About Professor J.H.H. Weiler

Professor Weiler is a Professor at NYU Law School and Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard. He served previously as President of the European University Institute, Florence.  Prof. Weiler is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of International Law (EJIL) and the International Journal of Constitutional Law (ICON).

Lecture synopsis

In Iran women are forced to wear a hijab. In Europe the European Court of Justice has legitimated the practice by private employers and public authorities to forbid Muslim women from wearing the hijab.

Is French-style 'Laïcité' becoming a new (civic) religion adopting the old archaic habits of the erstwhile Confessional State?

The contemporary reality—where in many Western countries practicing Christians have become a minority—is a good moment to reexamine some long-dormant issues, such as the balance between freedom of and freedom from religion, the concept of Neutrality, the finance by the State of religious schools, and the like.