The Catholic Church in France is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ... Jump to: navigation, search The pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Catholic Church. ... The Curia, inside the Forum The Curia of ancient Rome was the place where the Senate met to discuss the making of laws and take decisions about the affairs of the Republic. ... Jump to: navigation, search City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost...

There are an estimated 45 million baptised Catholics in France, (77% of the population), in 98 dioceses, served by 23,000 priests. However, according to a 2003 poll, the numbers of believing and practicing Catholics are much lower. Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... Jump to: navigation, search Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ...

History, legal status and politics

Prior to the French revolution, the Roman Catholic Church had been the official state religion of France since the conversion to Christianity of Clovis I, leading to France being called "the eldest daughter of the Church." The Kings of France were known as the "very Christian kings." Depending on the time, other religions, such as protestantism, were tolerated or persecuted. Jump to: navigation, search During the French Revolution (1789-1799) democracy and republicanism overthrew the absolute monarchy in France, and the French portion of the Roman Catholic Church was forced to undergo radical restructuring. ... Non-contemporary coin with obverse legend Clovis Roy de France Clovis I (or Chlodowech or Chlodwig, modern French Louis, modern German Ludwig) (c. ... Jump to: navigation, search Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing a split from within the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe —a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ...

Following from the Revolution, freedom of religion was established. Napoleon Bonaparte established the 1801 Concordat, whereby the State would subsidize the Catholic religion (recognized as the one of the majority of the French), as well as Judaism, and the Lutheran and Calvinist branches of Protestantism. Growing discontent with respect to the influence of the Catholic Church in education and politics lead to a series of reforms during the Third Republic reducing this influence, under the protests of the clerical groups supporting continuing influence (see Ultramontanism). Finally, the 1905 law on the separation of church and state removed the special status of the 4 state religions (except in Alsace-Moselle) but left to them the use without fee of the churches that they used prior to 1905. Since then, the prevailing public doctrine on religion is laïcité – that is, neutrality of the state with respect to religious doctrine, and isolation of the religious and the public spheres. Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français... (Redirected from 1801 Concordat) After successfully committing a coup détat against the French Directory in 1799, and then one month later declaring himself First Consul with the support of a popular vote, Napoleon Bonaparte was convinced that coming to terms with the Catholic Church would be crucial to the... Jump to: navigation, search Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... In an unadorned church, the 17th century congregation stands to hear the sermon. ... A map of France under the Third Republic, featuring colonies. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Ultramontanism literally alludes to a policy supporting those dwelling beyond the mountains (ultra montes), that is beyond the Alps—generally referring to the Pope in Rome. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search The separation of church and state is a concept and philosophy in modern thought and practice, whereby the structures of state or national government are proposed as needing to be separate from those of religious institutions. ... 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... In France and some other French-speaking countries, laïcité (pronounced ) is a prevailing conception of the separation of church and state and the absence of religious interference into government affairs (and vice versa). ...

Perceived threats of undue Catholic influence in national politics have lead some sections of the French public, particularly on the political left, to anti-clerical positions. On the other hand, conservative Catholic groups, such as the Society of St. Pius X, push for the return to the pre-revolution or at least pre-separation situation, contending that France has forgotten its divine mission as a Christian country. In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... Jump to: navigation, search Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes religious (generally Catholic) institutional power and influence in all aspects of public and political life, and the encroachment of religion in the everyday life of the citizen. ... Jump to: navigation, search His Excellency Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the Society of Saint Pius X. The Society of St. ...

Divisions

Within France the hierarchy consists of:

• Besançon
  • Belfort-Montbéliard
  • Nancy
  • Saint-Claude
  • Saint-Dié
  • Verdun

• Bordeaux
  • Agen
  • Aire sur Adour
  • Bayonne
  • Périgueux

• Cambrai
  • Arras (Boulogne, Saint-Omer)
  • Lille

• Clermont-Ferrand
  • Le Puy-en-Velay
  • Moulins
  • Saint-Flour

• Dijon
  • Autun
  • Nevers
  • Sens (-Auxerre) ^[1]
  • Mission de France ^[2]

• Lyon (-Vienne)
  • Annecy
  • Belley-Ars
  • Chamberry ^[3]
  • Grenoble
  • Saint-Etienne
  • Valence
  • Viviers

• Marseille
  • Aix-en-Provence (-Arles-Embrun) ^[4]
  • Ajaccio
  • Avignon ^[5]
  • Carpentras
  • Digne
  • Fréjus et Toulon
  • Gap
  • Nice

• Montpellier
  • Béziers
  • Agde
  • Carcassonne
  • Mende
  • Nimes
  • Perpignan-Elne

• Paris
  • Créteil
  • Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes
  • Meaux
  • Nanterre
  • Pontoise
  • Saint-Denis
  • Versailles

• Poitiers
  • Angoulême
  • La Rochelle
  • Limoges
  • Tulle

• Reims
  • Amiens
  • Beauvais
  • Châlons
  • Langres
  • Soissons
  • Troyes

• Rennes
  • Angers
  • Laval
  • Le Mans
  • Luçon
  • Nantes
  • Quimper (Léon)
  • Saint-Brieuc
  • Vannes

• Rouen
  • Bayeux (-Lisieux)
  • Coutances
  • Evreux
  • Le Havre
  • Sées

• Toulouse
  • Albi ^[6]
  • Auch ^[7]
  • Cahors
  • Montauban
  • Pamiers
  • Rodez
  • Tarbes et Lourdes

• Tours
  • Blois
  • Bourges ^[8]
  • Chartres
  • Orléans

Immediately subject to the Holy See: map of France, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF map of france converted directly from the world atlas File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Location within France Besançon is a French city in the département of Doubs, of which it is the préfecture. ... Jump to: navigation, search For the wine, see Bordeaux Wine City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. ... Agen is a city and commune located in the Aquitaine région in southern France, on the river Garonne. ... View of Grand Bayonne across the Adour Bayonne (Basque: Baiona; Spanish: Bayona) is a city and commune of southwest France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Cambrai (Dutch: Kamerijk) is a French city and commune, in the Nord département, of which it is a sous_préfecture. ... Arras is a city and commune in northern France, préfecture (capital) of the Pas-de-Calais département. ... Jump to: navigation, search City motto: – City proper (commune) Région Nord-Pas de Calais Département Nord (59) Mayor Martine Aubry (PS) (since 2001) Area 39. ... Clermont-Ferrand is a city of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of approximately 140,000. ... Location within France Street in the centre of Dijon Dijon (   pronunciation?) is a city in eastern France, the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Côte-dOr département (county) and of the Bourgogne région. ... City motto: Avant, avant, Lion le melhor. ... City motto: Actibus immensis urbs fulget Massiliensis. ... Aix (prounounced eks), or, to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, Aix-en-Provence is a city in southern France, some 30 km north of Marseille. ... Coat of arms of Avignon Avignon (pronounced in IPA, Provençal: Avignoun) is a commune in southern France with some 88,300 inhabitants in the city itself and 155,500 in the Greater Avignon area. ... Jump to: navigation, search Location within France Montpellier (Occitan Montpelhièr) is a city in the south of France. ... The archbishop of Paris is one of twenty-three archbishops in France. ... Location within France Poitiers (population 85,000) is a small city located in west central France. ... Angoulême is a town in southwestern France, préfecture (capital city) of the Charente département. ... Location within France La Rochelle is a city or commune of western France, and a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean (population 76,584 in 1999). ... Location within France Limoges (Limòtges in Occitan) is a city and commune in France, the préfecture of the Haute-Vienne département, and the administrative capital of the Limousin région. ... The Archdiocese of Reims was founded (as a diocese) around 250 by St. ... Location within France The Parlement de Bretagne (Parliament of Brittany), the most famous building in Rennes, was rebuilt after a terrible fire in 1994. ... Location within France Rouen (pronounced in French, sometimes also ) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northern France, and presently the capital of the Upper Normandy région. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Capitole, the 18th century city hall of Toulouse and best known landmark in the city; in the foreground is the Place du Capitole, a hub of urban life at the very center of the city Toulouse (pronounced in standard French, in local Toulouse accent) (Occitan... Location within France Albi is a city and commune in southern France. ... Jump to: navigation, search There is another Lourdes with a different pronunciation, see Lourdes, Brazil. ... Jump to: navigation, search Location within France Tours is a city in France, the préfecture (capital city) of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. ... The vaulted nave of Bourges Cathedral Bourges (pop. ... Jump to: navigation, search Cathedral of Chartres Cathedral of Chartres, western spires Chartres is a city and commune of France, préfecture (capital) of the Eure-et-Loir département. ... Orleans cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Cross, built from 1278 to 1329; after being pillaged by Huguenots in the 1560s, the Bourbon kings restored it in the 17th century. ...

• Strasbourg
• Metz
• Sainte-Croix-de-Paris (Armenian Eparchy)

Other: City motto: – City proper (commune) Région Alsace Département Bas-Rhin (67) Mayor Fabienne Keller (UMP) (since 2001) Area 78. ... City motto: Si paix dedans, paix dehors (French: If peace inside, peace outside) City proper (commune) Région Lorraine Département Moselle (57) Mayor Jean-Marie Rausch Area 41. ... In the Roman Empire, an eparchy was one of the political subdivisions of the Empire. ...

• Ukrainian exarchate

France is the location of one of the world's major Catholic pilgrim centres at Lourdes. For albums named Pilgrim, see Pilgrim (album). ... Jump to: navigation, search There is another Lourdes with a different pronunciation, see Lourdes, Brazil. ...

Notes

• ^  The archbishops of these archdioceses are not metropolitan bishops and thus do not wear the pallium. These are some of the few instances in the Latin rite church where this phenomenon occurs.
• ^  This is a territorial prelature, not a diocese.