As Catholicism in France is going through a period of profound mutations, various individuals, both from the Church (priests, bishops, leaders) and from civil society, note a lack of structured and updated data allowing a pertinent reading of these evolutions.
Newsroom(13/05/2025, Gaudium Press) The Observatoire Français du Catholicisme-OFC (French Observatory of Catholicism) project, sponsored by such prestigious firms as Samuel Pruvot of Famille Chrétienne, Elisabeth Geffroy, editor-in-chief of the magazine La Nef, among others, and presided over by Ghislain Lafont, former top executive of the important Bayard publishing group, is impossible to ignore for those who want to have an overview of the reality of the Church in France.
How did the project originate? “Catholicism in France is going through a period of profound mutations. Various individuals, both from the Church (priests, bishops, leaders) and from civil society, note a lack of structured and updated data allowing a pertinent reading of these evolutions. To respond to this need, lay Catholics working in the field wished to pool their talents and intuitions to found this Observatory, inspired by the appeal launched to the laity by the Second Vatican Council, strongly recalled by Pope Leo XIV”, says the Observatory’s website.
The data
This important group published a 46-page study last March, with a sample base of 2002 persons, which sought to be scientifically representative of the French universe. The data are quite revealing and in some aspects worrying, also as far as they can serve as a reference on European Catholicism.
The study reveals that there are already more people who do not believe in God in France (59%) than those who do (41%) (‘Do you personally believe in God?’, was the question). The ‘tipping point’ came in 2021, when those who did not believe in God were already 51%, and those who believed 49%.
As consistency is not something that shines in today’s minds, even in France, 46% of the French say they consider themselves to be Catholic. The question was “To which religious denomination or school of thought do you consider that you belong?”
Today 76% of the French are baptized, but that figure drops quite a bit when one considers the younger age bracket, between 18 and 24, of whom only 42% are baptized. Among those who are baptized, the percentage of those who are also likely to baptize their children has been falling: in 2012 it was 72%, while in 2025 it is only 61%.
The frequency of participation in Mass among the baptized is important: 66% say that they never attend Mass, 28% that they attend Mass a few times a year, only 2% every Sunday, and 4% as often as possible. These figures have had the following variation: in 2012, 35% declared that they went to Mass a few times in the year, 5% every Sunday, and 2% as often as possible. In other words, although the number of people who declare that they attend Sunday Mass has decreased, the number of people who say that they go to Mass as often as they can has increased.
Regarding “Christian identity”, of the persons who declare themselves Christians (47% of the sample), 16% say they are believing and practicing Christians, and 49% are believing and not practicing Christians.
Ca. 37% of the French say they are “in spiritual search,” wondering about “the meaning of life, life after death, etc.” 63% say no.
96% of the French say they have already attended a church. Of this percentage 49% went to attend a religious ceremony, 33% for tourist interest, 27% to contemplate the beauty of the places, and 14% to make a personal gesture such as a prayer, light a candle.
52% of the French meditate or pray. Every day 8%, often 9%, sometimes 35%. Never 48%.
Among those who pray, their intentions are: holiness for those close to them, 53%; health for themselves, 35%; seeking inner peace in the face of anguish, 26%; peace in the world, 25%; peace in relations with their environment, 25%; material conquests for those close to them, 17%; material achievements for themselves, 16%; loving God and knowing Him, 12%; going to paradise, 8%; after-death issues, 7%; and other matters, 21%.
Sixty-four percent of the French consider that society “needs more silence, contemplation and meditation”.
It is not unimportant to note that 8% of the French often discuss religion in the family, 24% from time to time, and 33% rarely. 35% never do.
49% say that they have a practicing Christian in their circle. This figure has decreased since 2007, when it was 59%. It is important to note that the presence of practicing Christians in their environment is higher as the level of education increases.
Fifty-four percent say that they have had recent contact with the Catholic Church or with Catholic people. Among that 54%, 75% have had contact through television, 28% through the press, 19% through radio, 17% through internet sites, 17% through social networks or influencers’ accounts, 6% through cinema, and 1% through other means.
The image of priests has eroded in recent years, particularly at the point of declaring them “trustworthy,” something that has decreased by 16% since 2017. Currently 52% consider them trustworthy.
While Catholics enjoy a 69% good opinion and a 31% poor opinion, Catholicism enjoys a 62% good opinion and a 38% poor opinion, and the Church a 53% good opinion and a 47% poor opinion. Among the points affecting opinion about the Church, the first are sexual abuse, the history of the Church, the attitude of Catholics who know each other, the current media, and the person and message of Christ.
Thirty-four percent of the French consider that the expression in the public space of an individual’s belief is legitimate, while 54% do not.
On the domains in which people consider that the Church can play a decisive role in French society today, 56% consider that in matters of solidarity, 37% in ethical and moral issues, 36% in matters of family and education. However, these last two items have seen a significant decrease. In 2008, 7% more people considered the role of the Church to be important in ethical and moral issues, and 22% more believed that the Church had a positive role in family and education issues.
An encouraging fact is that 59% of the French believe that “the values of Christianity should be recognized and valued in French society”. 41% say no.
The OFC research has gone into more detail on some of the points analyzed, which can serve for in-depth analyses, developments, and pastoral or catechetical plans.
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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