France, once known as the “eldest daughter of the Church” due to its high standing in Catholic Europe, is now a place of “injustices” and “discrimination” against Christians, a new report has stated.
The report, called "The Church’s Suffering and Hope in France", was released by the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) as Pope Leo XIV prepares to make the first papal visit to the country in almost two decades.
Grégor Puppinck, Director of the ECLJ, noted that while hundreds of thousands of people have signed up to attend the various papal events, others in France have opposed the visit, citing France’s secular history and the cost of the trip.
Puppinck said this was typical of the “persistent tension towards Christianity in France”.
The report states that “Catholicism in France has collapsed” and that the people of France are increasingly “despondent” and “sinking into despair”.
The report examines “the ideological pressures, injustices and ‘legal’ forms of discrimination experienced by the Church and Christians in France.
According to the report Christmas nativity scenes have been removed from town halls following court rulings, and crosses and wayside calvaries have been dismantled by administrative decisions.
At the same time there have been calls for the abolition of Christian public holidays. In addition, Catholic associations have been targeted by dissolution proceedings.
The report states that while 46 per cent of the French population identifies as Catholic, only 40 per cent actually believe in God. The number of Catholic priests in the country has plummeted from 65,000 in 1960 to just 12,000 in 2023.
Marriage rates have also almost halved in the same period, while divorces and abortions have surged.
Despite the apparently bleak picture, the report said there were “signs of hope”. This year there were 21,000 catechumens baptised at Easter - a 20-year record. At the same time 60 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds report a favourable opinion of the Catholic Church.
Commenting on the report, Puppinck said, “As society collapses before our eyes and France declines further with each passing year, the Church is, miraculously, regaining a new vitality amid the ruins.
"It is not these ruins that attract the thousands of young people who are converting, but the desire to restore all things in Christ.”
