The Appropriation of State Secularism by Catholics

We investigate the long-run evolution of Catholics’ view on State secularism in France. We explore the roots of the opposition of Catholics to secularism that can be traced back as far as the 1789 French Revolution. We provide evidence that the divide between Catholics and supporters of secularism persisted throughout the 19th and early 20th Centuries, affecting votes on the major secularization Laws during the Third Republic. We argue that the dual French educational system, partitioned into Catholic and secular schools, may have contributed to this persistence. We then show that Catholics eventually became supporters of secularism in France, closing the political divide on the issue. However, this shift in opinion can be explained by Catholics viewing secularism as a way of limiting the influence of Islam. We argue that views about the involvement of Muslim/Catholic authorities in public debate are significant determinants of political supply in France. Last, we show that Catholics, who now support secularism, continue to exhibit different voting behavior and attitudes than Atheists (regarding women’s rights and same-sex legislation).