France Balances Strict Secularism With Pope Leo XIV's Four-Day Visit

Pope Leo XIV begins a four-day visit to France on Friday, with large public gatherings, popemobile parades and an open-air Mass in Paris, posing a familiar balancing act for a country governed by a strict form of secularism known as laïcité.

The French Constitution describes the Republic as "indivisible, secular, democratic and social." Under this model, the freedom to believe or not to believe is guaranteed, as is the freedom to practise a religion provided it does not disturb public order. The state, for its part, must remain neutral toward all faiths.

The ground rules trace back to a historic 1905 law, drawn up chiefly to distance the state from the then-powerful Catholic Church. It guarantees freedom of conscience and the free exercise of religion while binding the state to neutrality. Churches built before 1905 belong to municipalities or the state, which maintain the buildings and let religious communities use them for worship. Most places of worship erected after 1905, including most mosques, are financed and maintained by religious organisations.

A national survey conducted in 2019 and 2020 found Catholicism to be France's largest religious affiliation at 29 per cent of the population, followed by Islam at 10 per cent. About half of respondents said they had no religious affiliation.

During the trip, the pope will visit Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes and Metz. He will be received by the French president in his capacity as head of Vatican City, making Friday's meeting at the Élysée Palace an encounter between two heads of state. Laïcité does not bar the government from engaging with religious institutions. President Emmanuel Macron met Leo at the Vatican in April to discuss relations with the Holy See, international affairs, peace and interreligious dialogue.

When Pope Francis visited Marseille in 2023, Macron attended the Mass but did not take part in worship. Responding to criticism that his presence breached France's secular principles, Macron said he was there as president, out of respect and courtesy, not as a practising worshipper.

The 1905 law explicitly covers religious ceremonies, processions and other outdoor events, which are subject to the ordinary rules governing public order. Security for such events is provided and paid for by the state. Other religions also regularly receive permission to use public spaces.

Still, some observers argue that holding Saturday's Mass at Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées, close to the National Assembly and the presidential palace, could be seen as a continuation of Catholicism's privileged cultural position. The area is usually reserved for the Bastille Day parade, state visits by foreign leaders and football fans' celebrations. Turning it into a venue for a religious event expected to draw hundreds of thousands of worshippers gives the Catholic Church exceptional visibility. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass before about 260,000 people at Les Invalides in central Paris.

In schools, a 2004 law bars conspicuous religious symbols in French public institutions. 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 or university students. French officials and many educators say secularism in public schools and other institutions shields less observant and nonreligious people from pressure while leaving everyone free to worship in private. Critics contend the policy primarily targets Muslim girls who wear headscarves.

In sports, the rules are complex and vary with an 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. International federations may also permit clothing that the corresponding French federation prohibits domestically.