France’s decision to fly flags at half-mast yesterday and on Friday in honor of the pope has caused a public debate, with some critics accusing the government of violating the country’s commitment to secularism and of following a double-standard on religious expression after Muslim headscarves were banned in public schools, and others complaining that the government hadn’t done more to mark the pope’s death. A similar controversy has arisen in Wisconsin, where the Freedom from Religion Foundation has protested the governor’s order that flags fly at half-mast all week as a government endorsement of Catholicism over other religions. The group said that a lowered flag on the day of the pope’s funeral would have been acceptable, but a week-long order was excessive in terms of state-backed grieving.