Religion & France: Relationship Status Changed to “Complicated”

Throughout the centuries, anyone can tell that religion and France have had a rocky relationship. But let’s catch you up on this hot mess before diving into some of today’s issues.

From the beginning of when there started to be a country named France, the main player in this girl’s life was Catholicism. This country was a major principal pillar in the Catholic countries of Europe. Up until around the 16th century, France was living large as one of the main powers that the Catholic church had, and even after the emergence of other religions trying to catch France’s eye (Protestantism, we see you), a large portion of the country and its elite stayed loyal to Catholicism.

But everything changed when the Revolution attacked. Oh goodness, 1789 brought a heck ton of changes for France. One thing that may fly under the radar is the break up France had with every church, claiming that religion was seen as “anti-revolutionary”, which was completely against the new fad at the time. But, that fad only lasted about twelve years, cause in 1801 a new contender convinced France that it was cool to love the Vatican again, when the Concordat was signed by Napoleon. Now with the ties back in place, the Catholic church was back in power with the help of our favorite country.

The alter above where Napoleon’s tomb rests.

Although, the next big break up happened over a century later, it was a big one. In 1905 when the trend was all about separation of church and state. Since then, France has been labeling herself as a secular state, where Catholicism is only one of the many religions welcome in the borders. However, there’s absolutely no denying that the long history the country has had has helped shape the landscape and architecture that decorates everywhere you look.

Notre Dame de Paris: one of the most famous Catholic churches on earth and a massive tourist attraction.

So…where does that leave France and the relationship with religion now? What’s the tea when talking about how these two identities interact? Well, even though Catholicism/Christianity is still the top player in the religion section, France has seen a steady decline in the influence that religion has in the everyday life of its citizens. Even to the point where the government has dictated that in public schools no “conspicuous religious symbols” can be worn by employees or students. This law was signed into power in 2004, and has received backlash and praise over the years. This law has obviously continued to make the relationship between France and religion far more complicated than in previous centuries. While for certain religious, such as Catholicism and Christianity, it is easy to hide symbols of faith as they tend (but are not limited to) jewelry. Whereas it is significantly more difficult to force a young woman of Islamic faith to remove her head or face covering. Then it becomes the conversation of what is a religious symbol and what is a cultural choice, which is a difficult topic to tackle, as we all come from different cultures and experiences on how religion has effected us.

Yet, the big question for today is: even though France is trying to separate its governmental powers and education from religion, is there a way to do it while still acknowledging the major parts that religion (especially Catholicism) have played in the nation’s history? We don’t have the answers, but it is an interesting question to ponder has the dynamics of the religious population change into a more agnostic view point. No matter what, the importance that religion has had on France will never be scrubbed away as it has played an integral part in the shaping of the nation and its architecture, even as the country continues to complicate its relationship status.