Catholic Numbers Dwindle in France

Barely half of the French describe themselves as Catholics, according to a poll released yesterday, sparking a leading religious publication to declare France "no longer a Catholic country."

A CSA poll published in Le Monde des Religions, showed the number of self-declared French Catholics had dropped during the past two decades to 51% from 67% in 2000 and 80% in the early 1990s. The number of atheists has also risen sharply to 31% from 23% in 1994.