Religion

(Estimated from a panel of 30,000 randomly selected residents, 2021)

-eroded by mass immigration and Independent Catholic schism

-eventually loses its majority status at around 1900

-and erodes further due to disenchantment of religion with French Wars > Sixth French War (1937-41)

-Independent Catholicism is the result of a much larger split over papal infallibility, with many breakaway clergy taking away their laity with them

-in France the rise of the Gallican Independent Catholic Church isn't as big as elsewhere

-no bishops involved and French state intervenes on side of Roman Catholics

-still pretty big and Gallican Church now second biggest religion in France

-there's still a pretty impressive religious revival in France in this era

-Gallicanism incorporates the very populistic laity traditions

-and obtains church of Paris > Grande Basilique de Ste. Jeanne d'Arc which is major tourist attraction

-boosted a fair bit by immigration of Independent Catholics from other countries

-especially Filipinos

Gallican Independent Catholic Archbishop of Paris (and Gallican Primate of France): Jean-Jacques Marais

-additionally Italian immigrants from its church have formed their own organization based on United States of Italy > Independent Catholic religion

Roman Constitutional Cardinal-Archbishop of Paris: Antoine-Aimé Napoli

-Protestantism dramatically expanded by, first, annexation of chiefly Protestant French Switzerland, and second, by massive amounts of immigration from Protestant countries (chiefly Germany and Sweden) in 19th century

-and then with immigration of Africans, including a lot of Methodists (converted by Colored-Americans)

-mostly consisting of Rhenish French people, as well as German and Swedish immigrants

President of the Central Consistory of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession of France: René Anderssen

-Huguenots are root and famous section of this

-and extended with annexation of French parts of Switzerland

-making Geneva center of French Protestantism

-and then a lot of immigrant come in and spread Calvinism further

-despite it, French Calvinists strongly identify with Huguenot legacy in general

-and Huguenot cross very popular garb among them

President of the Central Consistory of the Reformed Church of France: Pierre Reuter

-rise of Methodist movement in Geneva creates a small community

-then there's a not unsubstantial degree of conversion from other Protestant denominations and even a small number of Catholics

-then booms with mass immigration of Africans

-with many in France's African empire having been converted by Colored-American missionaries

-result is formation of French Methodist Church with chiefly immigrant makeup

-not episcopal because that's simply opposed by oldline Methodists who view having a bishop as Catholic

-but nevertheless deeply inspired by African Methodist Episcopal Church

President of the General Conference (and of the Council of Superintendents) of the Methodist Church of France: Isaïe Oudjame

-Orthodoxy is the product of great amounts of immigration from Eastern Europe, incl. many people from erstwhile Ottoman Empire, and then formation of a French Exarchate w/ exarch recognized by Constantinople (but partially successful)

-formed to unify various immigrants under a national church

-and including a lot of Little Russians

Exarch of France: Serge Sinitsine

-formed by later Russian immigrants

-headed by Russian-appointed bureaucracy but in practice they only appoint locals and incorporate local wishes

-to prevent a splinter

President of the Holy Synod of the Russian Overseas Church in France

-a lot of Copts immigrate to France under colonial rule

-additionally goes on to include Abyssinian immigrants

Primate of the French Coptic Orthodox Church: Marcos II

-Islam is result of immigration as much as OTL, but with more immigration from East Indies

-with the rise of an increasingly large Muslim minority governed by France it's organized into consistory

-to keep it controlled by France and integrate it into the system

-creating a very diverse Islamic population

-of Malayan peoples, North Africans, East Africans, etc.

President of the Islamic Central Consistory: Achmet Larbaoui

-known as Israelites within France

-vast majority of French Jews are Ashkenazi due to mass migration from Germany and Eastern Europe

-only recently is there a migration of (Sephardi) Near Eastern Jews which, however, does not match Ashkenazi

-headed by Israelite Central Consistory, which elects a Chief Rabbi

-Consistory is a coalition of Reform and Orthodox sections which each have parallel conversations and are only really unified by convenience

-without Napoleon, Jewish emancipation happens decades later in much of Europe

-and so a lot of German Jews immigrate following stuff like Hep-Hep riots (worse due to identification of Judaism with France)

-and more immigration from Russia and Lithuania afterwards because a lot of Jews view it as a cause to bring them in

Chief Rabbi (and President of the Israelite Central Consistory) of France: Moïse Abramouitche