Religion in France

Religion in France is diverse, with the largest religious group being Christianity. A very significant part of the population is not religious, and significant minorities profess Islam and other religions. Freedom of religion and freedom of thought are warranted by the legacy of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and by the principle of laïcité enforced by the 1880s Jules Ferry laws and the 1905 law on the Separation of the Churches and the State. Catholicism was the major religion in the realm of the French monarchy for more than a millennium, and it also held the role of state religion; the monarchy had such close ties to the Roman papacy that France was called the "eldest daughter of the Church" (French: fille aînée de l'Église).

Quotes

• The trial of the Famille Missionnaire de Notre-Dame (FMND), which concluded its hearings in Privas on January 22 and now awaits a verdict on March 24, has become a significant moment in the development of French criminal law. What started as a disagreement between five former sisters and a traditional Catholic community has turned into a demonstration of how far the ideas of “abuse of weakness” (abus de faiblesse) and “cultic deviances” (dérives sectaires) can be stretched. It shows how easily they can be used to regulate religious life.
  Bitter Winter [has] previously presented the case and warned that these legal concepts amount to a rebranding of the old discredited “brainwashing” theories, which were rejected by courts in the United States and most democratic countries. The FMND case proves that these concerns are not just theoretical.
  • Massimo Introvigne, "When Faith Goes on Trial: France Accuses the Famille Missionnaire de Notre-Dame of “Brainwashing”", Bitter Winter (February 3, 2026)