Catholic Church in France

The Latest

Church of the Sacred Heart in Bordeaux, France.

French church vandalized with satanic and anarchist graffiti

Mar 18, 2023

By Diego López Marina

The walls of Sacred Heart Church, located in Bordeaux were vandalized with satanic graffiti and communist and anarchist symbols March... Read more

Auxiliary Bishop Ansgar Puff in the devastated Kreuzerhöhungskirche in Wissen, Germany, Feb. 15, 2023.

Watchdog raises concerns after arson attacks on German, French churches

Feb 21, 2023

By AC Wimmer

Following an arson attack on a historic church in Germany, a European watchdog has raised concerns over hate crimes targeting... Read more

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Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas unveiled for 700th anniversary of his canonization

Jan 28, 2023

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

The skull of St. Thomas Aquinas has arrived at the Dominican Convent of Toulouse, France, and placed in a new... Read more

Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris.

Former archbishop of Paris under investigation for sexual assault is ‘outraged but serene’  

Jan 4, 2023

By Solène Tadié

In a statement issued Jan. 3, the Archdiocese of Paris said it was not “able to verify whether the facts... Read more

Paris, France

Why the French bishops have launched the world’s first canonical criminal court

Dec 12, 2022

By Solène Tadié

It is considered a world first: To date, no other bishops’ conference has implemented any national structure of this magnitude. Read more

Archbishop Jean-Pierre Grallet, OFM, in May 2013.

French bishop under investigation for ‘inappropriate’ behavior toward a woman

Nov 17, 2022

By AC Wimmer

The archbishop emeritus of Strasbourg said he deeply regretted making “inappropriate gestures toward a young woman of legal age” in... Read more

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French ‘influencer’ priest posts video parodies of Mass, apologies to those who ‘may have felt hurt’

Nov 15, 2022

By Walter Sánchez Silva

A French “influencer” priest who was asked by the Vatican to help out with a survey for the Synod on... Read more

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard

French cardinal confesses to sexual abuse

Nov 7, 2022

By AC Wimmer

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard said on Monday that he had abused a 14-year-old girl several decades ago and was making himself... Read more

Bishop Michel Santier in 2013

Diocese confirms French bishop disciplined by Vatican for sexual abuse

Oct 19, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

The Diocese of Créteil confirmed last week that its former bishop had been credibly accused of sexual abuse and ordered... Read more

European Court of Human Rights.

European court rules in favor of feminist claiming to ‘abort Jesus’ in a church in Paris

Oct 19, 2022

By Solène Tadié

The judges of the European Court of Human Rights ruled unanimously that the woman was exercising her “freedom of expression.” Read more

Raphael, “St. Michael Vanquishing Satan,” 1518

‘Hands off my statue’: How this French group hopes to save St. Michael the Archangel

Oct 11, 2022

By Solène Tadié

The recent decision of a French Court of Appeal to confirm the removal of a statue of St. Michael the... Read more

The backyard of St. Thérèse’s childhood home in Lisieux, France.

House of saints: Visiting St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s home has inspired conversions

Oct 1, 2022

By Courtney Mares

Scenes from St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s autobiography “Story of a Soul” come alive when walking through her childhood home in... Read more

St. Michael the Archangel

Supporters of statue of St. Michael the Archangel in small French town vow to fight removal order

Sep 29, 2022

By Charlotte Evans, AC Wimmer

After a French court confirmed the removal of a statue of St. Michael from a seaside town, supporters have vowed... Read more

Joan of Arc depicted on horseback in an illustration from a 1504 manuscript.

Who was Joan of Arc?: Answers to your questions about this heroic saint  

Aug 13, 2022

By Kelsey Wicks

Commissioned by God at the age of 13 to lead the army of France, Joan of Arc seems more legend... Read more

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich is installed as archbishop of Paris in the Church of Saint-Sulpice on May 23, 2022.

New Catholic archbishop of Paris invokes ‘synodal spirit’ at installation Mass

May 24, 2022

By Courtney Mares

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich is the 142nd archbishop of Paris. Read more

The beatification of Pauline Jaricot in Lyon, France, on May 22, 2022.

Almost 12,000 people attend the beatification of Pauline Jaricot

May 23, 2022

By Courtney Mares

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presided over the beatification Mass in Lyon. Read more

Pauline Jaricot (1799-1862).

Who is Pauline Jaricot, the Catholic Church’s next blessed?

May 21, 2022

By Jean-Marie Dumont

Some authors have described her as a mystic comparable to St. Catherine of Siena. Read more

François Asselin | Charles de Foucauld

Charles de Foucauld: The miracle that paved the way for his canonization

May 13, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

It began with a 50-foot fall inside a French chapel. Read more

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich.

Will Archbishop Ulrich lead the Catholic archdiocese of Paris in a new direction?

Apr 26, 2022

By Jean-Marie Dumont

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich has extensive experience of Church governance. Read more

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich.

Pope Francis names new Catholic archbishop of Paris

Apr 26, 2022

By CNA Staff

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich succeeds Archbishop Michel Aupetit, who resigned in December. Read more