France Navigates Secularism During Papal Visit

A four-day visit by Pope Leo XIV beginning Friday, featuring large public gatherings, popemobile parades, and an open-air Mass in Paris, presents France with a balancing act under its strict approach to secularism, known as laïcité.

France's Constitution states, “France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic.” Secularism guarantees the freedom to believe or not to believe, as well as the freedom to practice a religion as long as it does not disturb public order. It also requires the state to remain neutral toward all religions.

The country's distinctive model of secularism, laïcité, has been defined by a historic 1905 law primarily intended to distance the state from the then-powerful influence of the Catholic Church. The law guarantees freedom of conscience and the free exercise of religion while requiring the state to remain neutral.

Under the 1905 law, churches built before that year are the property of municipalities or the state, which maintain the buildings while religious communities use them for worship. Most places of worship built after 1905, including most mosques, are financed and maintained by religious organizations.

A 2019-2020 national survey found Catholicism was France’s largest religious affiliation at 29% of the population, followed by Islam at 10%. About half of respondents reported no religious affiliation.

During his visit, Pope Leo XIV will visit Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes, and Metz. He will be received by the French president in the Pope's capacity as head of Vatican City, making Friday’s meeting at the Élysée Palace an encounter between two heads of state. Laïcité does not require the government to reject contact with religious institutions.

In 2023, President Macron attended Pope Francis’ Mass in Marseille, but did not participate in worship. Responding to criticism that his attendance breached France’s secular principles, Macron stated he would be present as president out of respect and courtesy, not as a practicing worshipper.

The 1905 law explicitly permits religious ceremonies, processions, and other outdoor events to be subject to the ordinary rules governing public order, with security for such events provided and financed by the state. However, holding Saturday’s Mass at Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées, near the National Assembly and the presidential palace, could be seen by some as a continuation of Catholicism’s privileged cultural position. The area is typically used for the Bastille Day parade, state visits by foreign leaders, and football fan celebrations. Transforming it into a venue for a religious event expected to draw hundreds of thousands of worshippers grants the Catholic Church exceptional visibility.

In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass before approximately 260,000 people at Les Invalides in central Paris.

A 2004 law prohibits conspicuous religious symbols in French public schools, banning Muslim headscarves, Jewish kippahs, oversized Christian crosses, and other clothing that visibly signals religious affiliation. Discreet symbols, such as small crosses, Stars of David, or Hand of Fatima necklaces, are permitted. This law does not apply to private schools or university students.

French officials and many educators argue that secularism in public schools and other institutions protects less observant and nonreligious individuals from pressure while allowing everyone freedom to worship privately. Critics, however, contend that the policy disproportionately targets Muslim girls who wear headscarves.

In sports, rules are complex and vary depending on the athlete’s representative role and the governing federation. French authorities prohibit national-team athletes from displaying religious symbols while competing in an official capacity, including at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In 2023, France’s highest administrative court upheld the country’s soccer federation’s ability to impose a ban on headscarves in competitions, stating the measure could limit freedom of expression. International federations may permit clothing that the corresponding French federation prohibits domestically.