Law of Separation — Laïcité Becomes French Law

The French Parliament passes the Law on the Separation of the Churches and the State, definitively ending the Concordat between France and the Catholic Church established by Napoleon in 1801. The law enshrines laïcité (secularism) as a constitutional principle, making France one of the first modern states to legally separate religion and government. The Catholic Church loses its state funding and control of religious buildings.