Does a JPII Statue Violate Separation of Church and State?

Following a link from the New Oxford Review, we learn of this debacle in France over a statue of John Paul II and whether or not it violates separation of church and state. Since the Parousians are not stereotypical ugly Americans and because we would never seek to impose our will on the French, we simply ask, have the American people violated our own Constitution by creating a national holiday to recognize the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., another religious leader who made an outstanding political contribution to the world through his advocacy of human rights? Is there a difference between the separation of church and state and the exclusion of people of faith from public discourse and civic recognition? Doesn't this exclusion indicate a hostile position taken by the state towards those who profess religion? Does the current secular concept of freedom of religion reduce those who exercise that freedom to the status of a second class citizen in everything else, especially if their faith informs all their public actions? The Parousians await a French response.