France, the third-largest European country is a very independent nation located in Western Europe. It is also at the center of a large overseas administration. France was originally part of the Celtic territory in the ancient times and their territory was known as Gallia. The term Gallia is established from the Latin Francia which means “country of the Franks.” The “country of the Franks” were Germanic people who in during the 5th century, conquered the area.
When they conquered this area it was during the fall of the Western Empire. During the 9th century France became its own country. By the 17th century, they had already played a major role in European and world events and quickly after in the 20th century, France experienced several crises. The first major crisis was the devastation of two world wars which led to political and social upheavals and losing a large empire in Indochina, Algeria, and Equatorial and West Africa. Even after all of the struggles they have been faced with and the ruins from World War II, they have accomplished being a very important world supplier of agricultural and industrial products and also a major partner in the European Community. Religion in France is something they don’t find very important. Although there are no religious education classes being offered in the French state schools or no acts of worship, it is now required they must make and educate the students understand the religious aspects of the French history, art and culture.
If you are a parent who wants your child to receive religious education you would need to send them to the state sector, outside school hours, or send them to a private school which would be ran by a Catholic church. “Confessional” schools in France are schools that are ran by Catholics and that is why about 18% of France’s school children attend these schools. Only about a quarter of high school level students are enrolled in private schools because the Catholic high schools are the most successful high-schools in France. During the Middle Ages a large area of southwest France had rejected Catholicism but this was before “Protestantism.
” When they had rejected Catholicism they soon switched over to Catharism. This was a type of Christianity that was non- hierarchical and it wasn’t around very long due to getting stamped out by the bloody Crusade against the Albigeois during the 13th century.
