Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tunis to close down all the Catholic churches in the country, forced the Holy See to accept an agreement of the type known as a modus vivendi, a term that literally means "a way of living". This particular agreement was unofficially described as instead a "modus non moriendi" ("a way of not dying"). By it, all but 5 of the country's more than 70 churches were handed over to the state, including what had been the cathedral of the archdiocese, while the state, for its part, promised that the buildings would be put only to use of public interest consonant with
The Meaning of the City meaning arises within an ensemble of contradictory statements. So doing, Ellul does not seek to explain why the Bible says what it says on the subject of cities, but to show what it says. It is within the framework of his critique of technique (see "The Technological Society") that Ellul approaches the city. In effect, according to him, the city is the place where technique becomes system, preventing man from living in freedom. And according to Ellul, this freedom arises in work within proximity to God, and later in the perfect example of Jesus Christ. Thus, "if one follows Ellul,