Religion in France

Religion In France

France is a country where freedom of religion and freedom of thought are guaranteed by virtue of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The Republic is based on the principle of laïcité (or "freedom of conscience") enforced by the 1880s Jules Ferry laws and the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State. Roman Catholicism, the religion of a majority of French people, is no longer considered a state religion, as it was before the 1789 Revolution and throughout the various, non-republican regimes of the 19th century (the Restoration, the July Monarchy and the Second French Empire). Major religions in France include the Catholic Church, various Protestant churches, Judaism, Russian Orthodoxy, and Armenian Christianity, Islam amongst others, making it a multiconfessional country. While millions in France continue to attend religious services regularly, the overall level of observance is considerably lower than in the past.