The first page of the bill, as brought before the Chambre des Députés in 1905

On 9 December 1905, a law was passed in France separating the church and the state.^[1] This law was based on three principles: the neutrality of the state, the freedom of religious exercise, and public powers related to the church. This law is seen as the backbone of the French principle of laïcité. The law famously states "The Republic neither recognizes, nor salaries, nor subsidizes any religion". (Aristide Briand however subsequently negotiated an agreement with the Vatican whereby the state has a role in the process of choosing diocesan bishops.) Image File history File links Download high resolution version (808x1090, 674 KB) Ce document est une reproduction dun texte officiel (loi, règlement etc. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (808x1090, 674 KB) Ce document est une reproduction dun texte officiel (loi, règlement etc. ... The Palais Bourbon, front The French National Assembly (French: Assemblée nationale) is one of the two houses of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Constantines Conversion, depicting the conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great to Christianity, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... It has been suggested that Ecclesia (Church) be merged into this article or section. ... A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. ... Motto of the French republic on the tympanum of a church, in Aups (Var département) which was installed after the 1905 law on the Separation of the State and the Church. ... Aristide Briand (March 28, 1862 – March 7, 1932) was a French statesman who served several terms as Prime Minister of France and won the Nobel Peace Prize. ...

Effects

Prior to this law, the French national government funded four official religions: Roman Catholicism, Calvinist Protestantism, Lutheran Protestantism, and Judaism. It built churches, temples, synagogues and other religious buildings from taxes levied on the whole population (not just those affiliated with those religions). The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Calvinism is a theological system and an approach to the Christian life that emphasizes Gods sovereignty in all things. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Protestantism encompasses the forms... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The law put an end to the funding of religious groups. At the same time, it declared all religious buildings property of the state and local governments; the government puts such buildings at the disposal of religious organisation at no expense to these, provided that they continue to use the buildings for worship purposes.^{[citation needed]} Other articles of the law included prohibiting affixing religious signs on public buildings, and laying down that the republic no longer names French archbishops or bishops.

Because Alsace-Lorraine was at the time a part of the German Empire, the 1905 law, as well as some other pieces of legislation, do not apply there (see Alsace-Moselle). Similarly, the 1905 law did not extend to French Guiana, at the time a colony, and to this day the local government of French Guiana continues to fund Roman Catholicism. Imperial Province of Elsaß-Lothringen Alsace-Lorraine (German: , generally Elsass-Lothringen) was a territorial entity created by the German Empire in 1871 after the annexation of most of Alsace and parts of Lorraine in the Franco-Prussian War. ... Motto Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I Capital Berlin Language(s) Official: German Unofficial minority languages: Danish, French, Frisian, Polish, Sorbian Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1871–1888 William I  - 1888 Frederick... The Alsace-Moselle is the current legal name of the France that was part of Germany from 1871 to 1919 (and then from 1940 to 1944_1945), consisting of the départements of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin (both of which make up Alsace), and the département of Moselle (itself... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Politics

The leading figures in the creation of the law were Aristide Briand, Émile Combes, Jean Jaurès and Francis de Pressens. Aristide Briand (March 28, 1862 – March 7, 1932) was a French statesman who served several terms as Prime Minister of France and won the Nobel Peace Prize. ... Émile Combes, French politician Émile Combes (1835 - 1921) was a French statesman. ... Jean Jaurès. ...

Initially, the Roman Catholics were seriously affected, as the law declared churches property of the state and local governments. One point of friction is that public authorities had to hand over the buildings to religious organisations (associations cultuelles) representing laymen, instead of putting them directly under the supervision of the church hierarchy. This caused civil disobedience and even riots by Catholics. The Holy See urged Catholic priests to fight in the name of Catholicism. Pope Pius X issued the Vehementer Nos encyclical denouncing the law as contrary to the constitution of the church. It did, however, free the church from state control as well, since they could raise more funds than the modest amounts the state provided and they could choose their own bishops. This was not entirely new however since Catholics in the United States, Poland, and Ireland funded their churches without state support. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Anti-war activist Midge Potts is arrested for civil disobedience on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States on February 9, 2005. ... Categories: Stub | Riots ... Pope St. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Vehementer Nos Vehementer Nos was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope Pius X in 1905. ... An encyclical was a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Christian church. ...

One may see the situation from another angle, namely that this law currently de facto favours traditional French religions, in particular Roman Catholicism, at the expense of religions of more recent expansion in France, such as Islam: while most Catholic churches were built before 1905, and thus are maintained largely at the expense of the government, followers of Islam and other religions have to pay the full price of founding and maintaining religious facilities. This is the reason why certain French politicians, such as Nicolas Sarkozy, favour funding other religions.^[2] The 1905 law, however, is often considered politically untouchable. Rivals of Sarkozy, such as Jacques Chirac and Dominique de Villepin made a point that no change was foreseen to the law.^{[citation needed]} De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Nicolas Sarkozy   (born Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa on 28 January 1955 in Paris, France) is the President-Elect of France after defeating Socialist Party leader Ségolène Royal during the 2007 election. ... Jacques René Chirac (born 29 November 1932) is a French politician. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...

References

• (French) Dossier from the French National Assembly

1. ^ Law of December 9, 1905, concerning the separation of the Churches and the State from wikisource (in French); updated official version from Légifrance (in French)
2. ^ The reflection he proposes is of significant historical and theoretical depth, even to the point of considering important legal changes that bring into question a taboo of the French republic, the law of 1905 on separation between Church and state. Even the République Needs Religion by Carlo Cardia, Avvenire, May 3, 2006, translated in www.chiesa

The Palais Bourbon, front The French National Assembly (French: Assemblée nationale) is one of the two houses of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. ... Légifrance is the official site of the Government of France for the publication of legislation, regulations, and juridical information. ... Avvenire is a daily newspaper affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. ...

See also

• Concordat of 1801
• Catholic Church in France

Briand-Ceretti Agreement The Concordat of 1801 reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church as the major religion of France and restored some of its civil status. ... The Catholic Church in France is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. ...

• French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools
• French legislation for the prevention and repression of cultic groups