In France, Catholics were out in force in demonstrations earlier this month against same-sex marriage and IVF for gay couples. However, church attendance has declined sharply, and it is clear that Catholicism in the country has profoundly changed On 5 October, two huge demonstrations in Paris and Bordeaux represented a victory for Catholic conservatives. They attracted at least 150,000 people – including families and young people – on to the streets to signal their opposition to same-sex marriage and medically assisted procreation for gay couples. They managed to attract the media and impress the Socialist Government and the conservative opposition. The protests were also a landmark in the evolution of the French Catholic community, which is very different now from what it wa