Pope Leo XIV is set to begin a four-day visit to France on Friday, featuring large public gatherings, popemobile parades, and an open-air Mass in Paris. This visit presents France with a balancing act under its strict approach to secularism, known as laïcité. The country's constitution states that France is an indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic. Secularism guarantees the freedom to believe or not to believe and the freedom to practise a religion as long as it does not disturb public order.
France's distinctive model of secularism is based on a historic 1905 law that primarily aimed 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. Churches built before 1905 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 organisations.
A national survey carried out in 2019 and 2020 found that Catholicism was France's largest religious affiliation, representing 29% of the population, followed by Islam at 10%. About half of respondents said they had no religious affiliation. Pope Leo XIV will visit Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes, and Metz during his time in France. He will be received by French President Emmanuel Macron 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.
Macron met Pope Francis at the Vatican in April to discuss relations with the Holy See, international affairs, peace, and interreligious dialogue, according to his office. During Pope Francis' visit to Marseille in 2023, Macron attended the Mass but did not participate in worship. Responding to criticism that his attendance breached France's secular principles, Macron said he would be present as president out of respect and courtesy, not as a practising worshipper.
The 1905 law explicitly mentions religious ceremonies, processions, and other outdoor manifestations as subject to the ordinary rules governing public order. Security for such events, however, is provided and financed by the state. Other religions also regularly receive permission to use public spaces. However, some observers argued that holding Saturday's Mass at Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées could be seen as a continuation of Catholicism's privileged cultural position.
A 2004 law bars conspicuous religious symbols in French public schools. The ban covers Muslim headscarves, Jewish kippahs, oversized Christian crosses, and other clothing that visibly signals a religious affiliation. Discreet symbols, such as small crosses, Stars of David, or Hand of Fatima necklaces, are allowed. The law does not apply to private schools and university students. French officials and many educators said secularism in public schools and other institutions protects less observant and nonreligious people from pressure.
In sports, the rules are complex and vary according to 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 said the country's soccer federation could impose a ban on headscarves in competitions even though the measure can limit freedom of expression.
Key points
- France's strict secularism, known as laïcité, guarantees freedom of conscience and the free exercise of religion while requiring the state to remain neutral.
- Pope Leo XIV's visit to France features large public gatherings, popemobile parades, and an open-air Mass in Paris, presenting a balancing act under France's strict secularism.
- France's 2004 law bars conspicuous religious symbols in public schools, covering Muslim headscarves, Jewish kippahs, and oversized Christian crosses.
