Tag: France

Ahead of a key Senate debate on France's proposed "assisted dying" law, the country's Catholic bishops are renewing their strong opposition, insisting that, in their words, "we do not care for life by giving death."

A new nationwide survey finds most Catholic priests in France are strikingly upbeat about their ministry. A large majority of priests in France say they are "happy," according to a broad new survey by the "Observatory of Catholicism," conducted with the French Institute of Public Opinion, or IFOP.

With more than 400,000 viewers since its release as of 14 November, and counting, a new film about the Sacred Heart of Jesus has become an unexpected box office hit in France – and a lightning rod for controversy.

Pope Leo XIV asked the bishops of France to work more diligently to ensure that the Catholic faith continues to be alive and can thrive in their nation "despite the contrary and sometimes hostile winds of indifference, materialism and individualism."

As cardinals gather in Rome ahead of the 7 May conclave, thousands of pilgrims are flocking to the Basilica of St Denis in Argenteuil, France, to venerate what's believed to be the holy tunic of Jesus—the seamless robe described in the Gospels.

In a historic surge, more than 17,800 catechumens in France will be baptised at the Easter Vigil on 19 April—the highest number since records began in 2002.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Graces in Cotignac, which receives some 140,000 pilgrims every year, kicked it up a notch in the Jubilee Year and joined forces with the Catholic smartphone application Hozana ahead of the feast day of St Joseph.

After publishing the results of the General Estates on Religious Heritage project, French bishops navigate the restoration of historic churches not only to help preserve crumbling architectural pearls but also draw people closer to faith.

As France's lawmakers push their Catholic prime minister to put the voting on the "end of life" bill back to the agenda, François Bayrou proposed to split the controversial bill into two separate issues: palliative care and "active assistance in dying."

Paris welcomed several thousand participants from around the globe taking part in the 38th "International Meeting for Peace" 22-24 September, organised by the Community of Sant'Egidio.

French deputies began to work on the proposed "end of life" bill 27 May, which, as it now stands, promises to be extremely permissive regarding euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, marking the potential end of Christianity's influence in France.

Specialising in the relationship between democracy and religion, Philippe Portier, a French academic professor and political scientist, is not surprised that secularised France is so interested in rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral in the nation's capital.