COUNTRY
FrancePOPULATION
65,630,692 (July 2012 est.), note: the above figure is for metropolitan France and five overseas regions; the metropolitan France population is 62,814,233GDP PER CAPITA
$35,600 (2011 est.)RELIGIONS
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, paganAT THE CENTER
RELATED RESOURCES
ORGANIZATIONS (6)
Evangelical Lutheran Church of France
French Council for the Muslim Faith
Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine
French Council for the Muslim Faith
Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine
PEOPLE (6)
QUOTES (8)
Nicolas Sarkozy on France's Christian Heritage
March 3, 2011
Benedict XVI on Christian Contributions to France
September 12, 2008
Nicolas Sarkozy on Encouraging People to Hope in a Speech at the Lateran Church of Saint John in Rome
December 20, 2007
March 3, 2011
Benedict XVI on Christian Contributions to France
September 12, 2008
Nicolas Sarkozy on Encouraging People to Hope in a Speech at the Lateran Church of Saint John in Rome
December 20, 2007
PUBLICATIONS (3)
France
Events (9)
French religious policy is based on the concept of laïcité, a strict separation of church and state under which public life is considered completely secular. France was historically regarded as the “eldest daughter” of the Roman Catholic Church. The French Revolution (1789) saw a radical shift in the status of the Church with the launch of a brutal de-Christianization campaign. After the back and forth of Catholic royal and secular republican governments over the 19th century, laïcité was established under the Third Republic and codified with the 1905 Law on the Separation of Church and State. The constitution of the Fifth Republic (1958) guarantees freedom of religion. Today, most French citizens still identify as Catholics, although church attendance is very low. Through immigration, mainly from North Africa, Muslims now comprise about 10% of the French population. French Muslims have faced problems balancing their religious obligations with laïcité; a 2004 law on conspicuous religious symbols prohibits students and teachers from wearing Muslim headscarves in public schools.
The Berkley Center co-sponsored a Ramadan Iftar dinner with the Muslim Students Association. Faculty, staff, and students came together to break the fast of Ramadan and enjoy fellowship and conversation.
The Third World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace convened around the theme "The Sacredness of Peace." During the Congress, working groups discussed topics like the place of women in Abrahamic dialogue and the importance of peace education. In closing, the 85 participants produced a "Declaration and Action Plan" outlining methods of encouraging peace and understanding between Jews and Muslims. The event was cosponsored by the Hommes de Parole Foundation and the United Nations...
The United States, France, Turkey, and India represent four secular democratic states with distinctively different patterns of religion/state separation and distinctively different modes of religious pluralism. This seminar examined comparatively the historical patterns of constitution of the four secular regimes, as well as the contemporary contentious debates on secularism, religion, and democratic politics in all four countries.
Organized by the Sussex Centre for the Individual and Society and hosted at Sciences Po/The Institute for Political Studies in Paris, the Centre's third annual symposium explored the influence of anti-liberalism on political theologies throughout history. Presenters focused on major movements such as radical Islam, Zionism, and the Christian Right in America, which often share similar concerns and antipathies towards the modern world. Insights on anti-liberal political theologies were then...
The Council of Europe launched its "White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue" at its 118th Ministerial Meeting on May 6-7 in Strasbourg. The paper was approved by the 47 Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Council of Europe member states. Managing Europe's cultural diversity in a democratic manner was identified as a key challenge for Europe's future, and the White Paper outlines a conceptual framework for understanding dialogue, policy approaches to dialogue promotion, and recommendations for...
The Council of Europe convened a meeting on April 8 to discuss the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue in preparation for the launch of the "White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue" in May 2008. The April meeting brought together over 100 religious leaders, civil society leaders and NGOs, experts, and representatives of Council of Europe member states. Participants discussed how religion interacts with education and democratic citizenship, challenges related to teaching religion in...
The second event sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Office on Interreligious Relations and Dialogue of the World Council of Churches as part of the "Interreligious reflection on conversion: from controversy to a shared code of conduct" project, the theological consultation "Towards an Ethical Approach to Conversion: Christian Witness in a Multi-religious World" saw a diverse group of Christian leaders identify key issues that should be addressed in a...
Aspen France organizes a conference on Africa and Europe every two years, traditionally at Annecy. A flagship event for the Aspen Institute, this meeting has entailed active partnership over the years with the World Bank, as well as Agence Francaise de Developpement and the African Development Bank. The 2006 event, held from September 1-3, focused especially on the issue of culture and religion in terms of its impact on African development. Participants ranged from a host of African...
The 2005 International Prayer for Peace met in Lyon, France, and continued along the path set by the previous year's emphasis on developing a "New Spiritual Humanism" by focusing on the theme "Religions and Cultures: The Courage to Forge a Spiritual Humanism of Peace." The Lyon meeting paid homage to the late Pope John Paul II, who began the Prayer for Peace with his gathering in Assisi in 1986, and marked the first Prayer for Peace under the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, who addressed...