Century Rebirth: The Repositioning of Catholicism in French Society Today

For hundreds of years, when the Catholic Church served as the French state religion, Catholics accounted for over 85% of the population of France. However since 1905, when France began the process of political secularization, religion in France today appears gradually marginalized in both the public and private spheres. Since the turn of the 21st century, the power of the Catholic Church in France has further declined, with France becoming one of the most secularized Western countries. Despite this, the Catholic Church is still engaged in internal struggle and development. After a century of secularization, Catholicism in France is still adjusting and trying to reposition itself in contemporary society. Through the documentary research and survey questionnaire data from French participants, this study found that while the influence of Catholicism remains in France today, in terms of ideology, the Catholic Church has to make certain compromises and concessions to modern values, in order to adapt to the modern era. On the other hand, in order to meet people’s spiritual needs, the Catholic Church also needs to retain its own social, moral, and cultural level of influence. Therefore, in response to the pluralistic values of today, as well as the increasing impact of other religions such as Islam on French society, after one century of la laïcité, a new positioning of Catholicism in France is being established. Keywords—Catholicism, France, la laïcité, positioning, secularization.