Religion

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Evangelicalism in France continues to grow, driven by conversions

Members of evangelical churches, a branch of Protestantism, are increasing. These believers say they are drawn by a more informal liturgy and the emphasis on community.

Published on August 31, 2025, at 10:00 am (Paris) Sarah Belouezzane Benoît Vitkine

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French leisure park manager charged with discrimination after refusing entry to Israeli group

The 52-year-old man denied the accusations.

Published on August 25, 2025, at 10:30 am (Paris), updated on August 25, 2025, at 10:52 am Benoît Vitkine

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'No saint is perfect': Marthe Robin and the endless debate over her holiness

'Marthe Robin: Saint Or Fraud?' (5/5). Experts and historians remain divided over the case of this Catholic mystic who died in 1981. Her beatification process, launched in 1986 and currently suspended, shows just how difficult she is to define.

Published on August 22, 2025, at 8:30 pm (Paris) Virginie Larousse

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'Marthe Robin was attacked all her life': Catholic mystic's hometown faces disputes over legacy

'Marthe Robin, Saint Or Fraud?' (4/5). Accusations of deception against the Catholic mystic continue to cast a shadow – and even divide – inhabitants of her village.

Published on August 21, 2025, at 8:30 pm (Paris) Virginie Larousse

Editorial

Netanyahu's manipulation of antisemitism is unworthy

By pushing the idea that Jews around the world identify with his far-right policies, it is the Israeli prime minister himself who is fueling antisemitism, in France and elsewhere.

Published on August 21, 2025, at 12:23 pm (Paris) Le Monde

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'A princess of lies': An investigating monk accuses Marthe Robin of 'mystical fraud'

'Marthe Robin, Saint or Fraud?' (3/5). In October 2020, Belgian Carmelite Conrad De Meester sent shockwaves through the Catholic world with the publication of a book denouncing the devout French woman as a phony, accusing her of plagiarism and casting doubt on her paralysis.

Published on August 20, 2025, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Virginie Larousse

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'Like Joan of Arc': Marthe Robin, the recluse who sought to 'raise France up again'

'Marthe Robin, Saint or Fraud?' (2/5). In the 1930s, the Catholic mystic, whose words became increasingly political, started developing the Foyers de Charité, a spiritual and educational organization aimed at fostering France's spiritual renewal.

Published on August 19, 2025, at 6:00 pm (Paris) Virginie Larousse

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'It is Jesus who speaks through me': The enigmatic life of Marthe Robin

'Marthe Robin, Saint Or Fraud?' (1/5). In the 1920s, a paralyzed and bedridden farmer's daughter became a Catholic mystic known for her supernatural visions, and crowds flocked to see her until she died in 1981.

Published on August 18, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2025, at 12:15 pm Virginie Larousse

In Depth Subscribers only

France faces sharp decline in priestly vocations

The number of priests has fallen from 65,000 in 1960 to around 12,000 today. While recruiting foreign priests and merging parishes have eased the decline, the Catholic Church in France continues to grapple with how to address the phenomenon.

Published on August 15, 2025, at 4:56 pm (Paris) Benoît Vitkine

News

Pope's 'Jubilee of Youth' with over a million attendees closes with Rome mass

Pope Leo held a final mass in Rome on Sunday, the culmination of a week-long youth pilgrimage that welcomed over a million Catholics from across the world. 'Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less,' he told the young people.

Published on August 3, 2025, at 11:02 am (Paris) Le Monde

News

Pope Leo XIV welcomes hundreds of thousands of young Catholics to Rome for the Holy Year youth festival

The pope urged the young Catholics, hailing from nearly 150 countries, to value true friendship and to do good in the world: 'Friendship is a path to peace.' Though 500,000 attendees were initially expected, the final count could reach up to one million.

Published on August 2, 2025, at 10:33 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AP

News

Up to a million young Catholics in Rome for Pope Leo vigil

The 'Jubilee of Youth' – when the Vatican invites Catholics aged 18 to 35 to the seat of the global Church's power – has brought thousands of young pilgrims from around the world to Rome this week. The night-time vigil on Saturday is the culmination of this week-long pilgrimage.

Published on August 2, 2025, at 10:32 am (Paris), updated on August 2, 2025, at 2:41 pm Le Monde with AFP

Profile Subscribers only

Gabriel Hagaï, a mystic and political rabbi

Hagaï, 57, has lived a thousand lives. A specialist in Hebrew manuscripts, the religious figure who embraces mystical Judaism has also been a baker in Boston, a researcher and, currently, a herbalist.

Published on July 31, 2025, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on August 1, 2025, at 1:32 pm Youness Bousenna

In Depth Subscribers only

Representatives of French Judaism say recognition of Palestinian state must be conditional

The Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) and the Consistoire Central expressed criticism following Emmanuel Macron's announcement on Thursday.

Published on July 26, 2025, at 11:00 am (Paris) Sarah Belouezzane

In Depth Subscribers only

Did the Prophet Muhammad invent political Islam?

Born, according to tradition, around 570 in Mecca, the founder of Islam was a preacher, a prophet and a legislator, as well as a military leader and political figure. He was not only the originator of a new religion, but also of an empire and a civilization that intertwines the religious and the political.

Published on July 6, 2025, at 11:05 pm (Paris), updated on July 7, 2025, at 11:26 am Nabil Mouline

News

'Simple Buddhist monk' Dalai Lama celebrates landmark 90th birthday

The Dalai Lama turned 90 on Sunday surrounded by thousands of followers, who thronged the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, where the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism has been living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.

Published on July 6, 2025, at 10:22 am (Paris) Le Monde with AP and AFP

News

Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board

The French Bishop Thibault Verny has been appointed to head the Vatican's child protection advisory commission. He has been praised for his experience of ensuring accountability 'for the serious failures of the church in France,' where an estimated 330,000 children were sexually abused over the past 70 years by church personnel.

Published on July 6, 2025, at 4:49 am (Paris), updated on July 7, 2025, at 12:51 pm Le Monde with AP

Feature Subscribers only

Since October 7, more Jewish families in the Paris region 'want to move to a place they perceive as safer'

The rise in anti-Semitism has accelerated the ongoing shift in where Jews live in Paris and its suburbs, home to about half of France's estimated 500,000 Jews.

Published on July 4, 2025, at 10:38 am (Paris) Benoît Vitkine

News

Dalai Lama says he will have successor after his death

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said the 600-year-old institution will continue after his death, a decision that will have profound impact on his Buddhist followers.

Published on July 2, 2025, at 8:05 am (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

Op-Ed Subscribers only

'Being Jewish in France today means being alone'

Senior civil servant Paul Bernard shares the struggles faced by French Jews, a community to which he belongs, in an op-ed. In particular, he attempts to explain the confusion between Israel and its government, which he says does not mean 'endorsing, even through silence, the way it is conducting the war.'

Published on June 28, 2025, at 4:43 pm (Paris) Paul Bernard

Long Read Subscribers only

From Peru to the Vatican, the rise of 'Monseñor Roberto de Chiclayo,' now Leo XIV

Francis's successor at the Vatican lived for many years in the South American country. Le Monde traveled to the city of Chiclayo to meet with several people who remember the days when he was still known as Robert Prevost.

Published on June 22, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on June 22, 2025, at 5:21 am Cécile Chambraud

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Conservative backlash targets new Socialist and lesbian head of French Catholic scouts organization

Marine Rosset, a local elected official who has taken the helm of France's Scouts and Guides, has faced attacks from far-right websites.

Published on June 21, 2025, at 7:00 pm (Paris) Sarah Belouezzane

In Depth Subscribers only

Tolerance holding up in France despite hate speech, report on racism finds

After a turbulent 2023 marked by the consequences of the terrorist attacks by Hamas, French people's acceptance of others again increased in 2024, according to the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights' annual study. But prejudice persists.

Published on June 19, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on June 19, 2025, at 5:10 am Louise Couvelaire

Letter from... Subscribers only

Brazil's evangelical wave is losing momentum

According to the latest census, the Protestant movement now accounts for 26.9% of the population. A level far below what had been anticipated and still well behind the 56.7% who identify with the Catholic Church.

Published on June 14, 2025, at 3:40 am (Paris), updated on June 14, 2025, at 10:52 am Bruno Meyerfeld

News Subscribers only

On China, Leo XIV follows in the footsteps of Pope Francis

The new pontiff has implemented an agreement signed in 2018 between the Holy See and Beijing, though some Catholic factions have criticized it.

Published on June 14, 2025, at 12:54 am (Paris), updated on June 14, 2025, at 10:53 am Sarah Belouezzane Harold Thibault

In Depth Subscribers only

Pentecost: What we know about the very first Christians

On Pentecost, Christians celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus. To mark the occasion, Le Monde charts the birth of the first Christian communities over four stages, from Jerusalem to the Roman Empire.

Published on June 8, 2025, at 10:00 am (Paris) François Vouga

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'The climate is toxic, especially on TV': French Muslims express their dismay during Eid

A week after the racist attack in Puget-sur-Argens, southern France, the mood was somber among worshippers who came to pray on Friday for Eid al-Adha at the Al-Hashimi mosque in Saint-Ouen, just outside Paris.

Published on June 7, 2025, at 4:00 pm (Paris) Sarah Belouezzane Benoît Vitkine

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Racist attack in southern France: 'Muslims do not feel as protected as other citizens'

Representatives and prominent members of the Muslim community said the murder of Hichem Miraoui on Saturday reflected 'a troubling and increasingly hostile climate toward citizens of Muslim faith in France.'

Published on June 4, 2025, at 11:59 am (Paris), updated on June 5, 2025, at 7:18 am Sarah Belouezzane Louise Couvelaire Benoît Vitkine

News

Hajj begins for more than a million pilgrims under blistering heat

An estimated 1.4 million people arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, with temperatures expected to exceed 40ºC.

Published on June 4, 2025, at 8:46 am (Paris), updated on June 4, 2025, at 9:51 am Le Monde with AFP

In Depth Subscribers only

Captain Alfred Dreyfus is up for posthumous promotion

French lawmakers are voting to raise the army officer to the rank he could have aspired to had he not spent years in detention after being wrongfully convicted of espionage amid widespread antisemitism.

Published on June 2, 2025, at 11:10 am (Paris), updated on June 2, 2025, at 11:32 am Robin Richardot

In Depth Subscribers only

What do Christians celebrate on Ascension Day?

On May 9, Christians celebrate the Ascension, symbolizing Jesus' ascent to God. Le Monde explores the history and symbolism of one of Christianity's most important feasts.

Published on May 29, 2025, at 8:44 am (Paris) Macha Fogel

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Russia takes over a second Orthodox church in Nice

The courts have ruled in favor of Moscow, which claimed ownership of the French Riviera church that had been managed for more than a century by descendants of White Russian émigrés. Representatives of Russia have already sent a bailiff to the site.

Published on May 26, 2025, at 6:09 pm (Paris) Benoît Vitkine

In Depth Subscribers only

Former French PM faces backlash over proposal to ban headscarves for children

Gabriel Attal, the head of President Macron's party, said he wanted to ban under-15s from wearing Muslim headscarves in public spaces. In response, there has been an outcry across the political spectrum, except on the far right.

Published on May 26, 2025, at 4:41 pm (Paris) Mariama Darame Nathalie Segaunes

Editorial

Political Islam: A real challenge and a regrettable opportunity for political one-upmanship

The reactions surrounding a report on the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in France shows that letting political escalation thrive over such a sensitive issue is the surest way to avoid addressing it properly.

Published on May 23, 2025, at 3:12 pm (Paris), updated on May 23, 2025, at 5:11 pm Le Monde

In Depth Subscribers only

Muslim Brotherhood's influence in France: What the controversial report reveals

The document presented on Wednesday, but leaked to the press the previous day, proved more measured than the speeches that accompanied its release. It mainly identifies a political risk linked to the birth of 'municipal Islamism.'

Published on May 22, 2025, at 11:38 am (Paris), updated on June 4, 2025, at 5:13 pm Christophe Ayad Louise Couvelaire

News

Macron urges government action on Muslim Brotherhood's influence in France

After a government report deemed the movement a threat to national cohesion, the French president called for new measures to counter political Islamism, sparking fierce debate across the political spectrum.

Published on May 21, 2025, at 5:44 pm (Paris), updated on May 21, 2025, at 5:59 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

French report warns of spread of Muslim Brotherhood ideology

According to a confidential government report, the Muslim Brotherhood poses a long-term threat to France's national cohesion – not through violence, but by gradually eroding secular values at the local level.

Published on May 21, 2025, at 3:38 am (Paris), updated on May 21, 2025, at 10:32 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Pope Leo XIV lays out vision of his papacy, identifies AI as a main challenge

Addressing a meeting of cardinals two days after being elected the 267th pope, Leo XIV pledged to follow Francis's legacy, uphold social justice and confront the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence and modern labor shifts.

Published on May 10, 2025, at 3:48 pm (Paris), updated on May 10, 2025, at 10:59 pm Le Monde with AP and AFP

Op-Ed Subscribers only

'Trump and Putin may brandish the Bible, but they are not servants of Christianity'

In an op-ed, a group of theologians and teacher-researchers at the Institut Catholique de Paris argue that by restricting Christian values to the realm of private morality, the American and Russian presidents are 'devitalizing the Gospel.'

Published on May 9, 2025, at 10:58 am (Paris) Collectif

News

Pope Leo XIV addresses cardinals in English at his first Mass

The 69-year-old new pope returned to the Sistine Chapel on Friday to celebrate a private mass with cardinals that was broadcast by the Vatican, delivering his much anticipated first homily as pope.

Published on May 9, 2025, at 8:33 am (Paris), updated on May 9, 2025, at 8:56 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Robert Prevost elected as Pope Leo XIV

Appointed by Francis as prefect of the strategic Dicastery for Bishops, this native of Chicago has supported the Argentine pope's reforms. He is the first American pope.

Published on May 8, 2025, at 6:13 pm (Paris), updated on May 9, 2025, at 11:44 am Le Monde with AP and AFP

News

Papal Conclave: Second day of black smoke, cardinals to vote for new pope again

If Thursday afternoon's rounds of voting fail to produce a two-thirds majority, black smoke will billow from the chimney at the Vatican again, at around 7 pm. It will be white if a new pope is elected.

Published on May 8, 2025, at 3:03 pm (Paris), updated on May 8, 2025, at 3:06 pm Le Monde with AFP

In Depth Subscribers only

Benedict, Francis, Paul and others: How do popes choose their names?

While speculation mounts over the identity of the next pope, equally intriguing is the name he will choose, as it may offer an early indication of the direction he wishes to steer his pontificate.

Published on May 8, 2025, at 5:45 am (Paris) Luc Chatel

News

Black smoke pours from the Sistine Chapel, indicating that no pope has been elected

After history's most geographically diverse conclave took one round of voting on Wednesday, no winner emerged. The 133 cardinals will retire for the night and return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday morning to try to find a successor to Pope Francis.

Published on May 7, 2025, at 9:49 pm (Paris), updated on May 8, 2025, at 10:15 am Le Monde with AP

News

Cardinals locked into Sistine Chapel to choose next pope as largest ever conclave begins

At approximately 5:45 pm on Wednesday, master of ceremonies Diego Ravelli shut the heavy doors of the famous chapel in the Vatican after calling out in a solemn voice the Latin phrase 'Extra Omnes,' ordering all those not involved in the vote to leave.

Published on May 7, 2025, at 6:07 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

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Olivier Christin, historian: 'The conclave is where political modernity was invented'

As the assembly of cardinals gathers in Rome starting May 7 to choose the successor to Pope Francis, the specialist of Catholicism speaks in an interview with Le Monde about the roots of our contemporary fascination with this election that has neither candidates nor a campaign.

Published on May 7, 2025, at 4:00 am (Paris) Marion Dupont

Op-Ed Subscribers only

Lucetta Scaraffia, Vatican expert: 'During the preparatory meetings for the conclave, no one invited the nuns to speak, no one wanted to listen to them'

The Italian journalist and historian was long dubbed 'the Vatican feminist' because she headed the women's supplement for 'L'Osservatore Romano,' the evening daily of the Holy See, before resigning. She regrets that no representatives of the nuns were invited to the meetings preceding the election of the next pope.

Published on May 5, 2025, at 11:06 am (Paris) Lucetta Scaraffia

Investigation Subscribers only

For Muslim-Christian couples, religion isn't always an issue – except around them

In France, interfaith relationships are becoming more frequent with each generation. While love transcends religious divides within couples, finding a place within the in-laws' family and agreeing on children's religious practices often pose a challenge.

Published on May 4, 2025, at 8:00 pm (Paris), updated on June 4, 2025, at 3:55 pm Adam Lebert

Feature Subscribers only

Residents pay respects in silent march for man killed at mosque in southern France

Aboubakar Cissé, a young Malian, was fatally stabbed multiple times on Friday, inside the mosque of the town of La Grand-Combe. Residents gathered in large numbers to pay tribute and express their fears of an anti-Muslim hate crime.

Published on April 28, 2025, at 9:43 am (Paris) Agathe Beaudouin Christophe Ayad

News

No place for racism in France, says Macron after worshiper stabbed to death in mosque

The attacker, on the run since Friday's attack, stabbed the worshiper dozens of times and then filmed him while shouting insults at Islam in a village in southern France.

Published on April 27, 2025, at 4:10 pm (Paris), updated on April 27, 2025, at 9:21 pm Le Monde with AFP

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What Pope Francis leaves behind through his political, fraternal and poetic writings

During his 12 years as pontiff, Pope Francis published numerous texts that left a mark on the world with their universal and radical reach, as well as on the life of the Church through the profound changes they inspired.

Published on April 26, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on April 26, 2025, at 8:16 am Luc Chatel

Interview Subscribers only

Fabio Marchese Ragona, biographer of Pope Francis: 'He was always outspoken, which can be irritating in certain environments'

Who was the man behind the pope? The Vatican expert, co-author of an autobiography written with Francis, describes a 'frank, direct, and approachable' man in an interview with Le Monde.

Published on April 22, 2025, at 3:30 pm (Paris), updated on April 22, 2025, at 7:49 pm Gaétan Supertino

Editorial

After Pope Francis, the Church's openness in question

The pontiff left an indelible mark by placing the poor at the center of his discourse and highlighting the cause of migrants and refugees. His death comes precisely at a time when the forces opposing his choices are gaining strength.

Published on April 22, 2025, at 11:01 am (Paris) Le Monde

Op-Ed Subscribers only

Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris: 'Under Francis, the Catholic Church reinvested in the love of neighbor'

Chems-eddine Hafiz pays tribute to the late pope in an op-ed in Le Monde. The French Muslim leader, who met with the pope in Rome in February, praised his commitment to interfaith fraternity.

Published on April 21, 2025, at 7:31 pm (Paris) Chems-eddine Hafiz

Op-Ed Subscribers only

'Pope Francis set a new style and distinctive tone'

Writer and journalist Christine Pedotti praises Pope Francis's modest style, which helped restore the papacy's image, but laments the lack of structural reforms in the Church.

Published on April 21, 2025, at 6:30 pm (Paris) Christine Pedotti

In Depth Subscribers only

Pope Francis long extended a hand to China, which never took it

The Argentine Jesuit would have liked to visit China, which doesn't maintain diplomatic relations with the Holy See. At his instigation, in order to improve the situation of Chinese Catholics, the Vatican reached an agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops.

Published on April 21, 2025, at 4:31 pm (Paris), updated on April 21, 2025, at 4:38 pm Frédéric Lemaître

News

World reactions to death of Pope Francis

The Argentinian leader of the Catholic Church died on April 21 at age 88. European leaders as well as those in the US and Middle East expressed their condolences.

Published on April 21, 2025, at 11:47 am (Paris), updated on April 25, 2025, at 2:00 pm Le Monde with AP and AFP

Explainer Subscribers only

Pope Francis's death: What is the protocol for the next few days?

There is no room for improvisation when it comes to the pontiff's funeral and succession. The organization of the Apostolic See's vacancy is orchestrated by the cardinals, who will come from all over the world and meet in Rome until one of them is elected pope.

Published on April 21, 2025, at 10:30 am (Paris), updated on April 21, 2025, at 8:39 pm Sarah Belouezzane

Column Subscribers only

Cocoa ceremonies: A ritual to 'reveal the spiritual dimension surrounding this sacred plant'

On Easter, chocolate brings together many enthusiasts. However, cocoa can also be perceived as a sacred plant, as journalist Marc Bonomelli highlights after attending a cocoa ceremony on the island of Tenerife, Spain.

Published on April 21, 2025, at 9:29 am (Paris), updated on April 21, 2025, at 5:41 pm Marc Bonomelli

In Depth Subscribers only

What is baptism? Seven questions on the fundamental Christian rite

To mark Easter weekend, Le Monde traces the history of this symbol-laden ritual.

Published on April 21, 2025, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on April 21, 2025, at 5:41 pm Cyprien Mycinski

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