COVID-19 in France: An Insight into the Recompositions of the Religious in a Secular-Majority Country

This chapter aims to show the specific features of COVID-19 management in a secular country, where there is a strict separation between the state and religions. It also shows how the relationship established by the state and the society with each of the religions present in the country affects their reaction to restrictive measures. Two tendencies sum up how COVID-19 impacted religion and its position in French society. It confirms, first, the secularisation of French society and, second, how the collective practice of faith was deemed non-essential. Theoretically, this analysis engages with two discussions. The first deals with an axis of polarisation, namely the secularisation of society, confirmed by the COVID-19 crisis. The second analyses the recomposition of the religious, which the pandemic highlights. The chapter sheds light on this changing face of religion in a secular country, from a legal and sociological perspective.