The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Paris

Facing a freefall in the number of churchgoers despite its deep Christian heritage, France is set to welcome Pope Benedict XVI on his first visit to bond with the Catholic church's "eldest daughter."

The German pope arrives in Paris on Friday for talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy and to deliver a keynote address before flying to the southwest town of Lourdes, one of the world's most visited Catholic sites.

France is home to an estimated 35 million baptised Catholics, although polls show the French have lost much of their sense of belonging to the church over recent decades.

While Catholicism remains by far the country's number one religion, 51 percent of the French consider themselves Catholic, down from 80 percent in the early 1990s, according to a survey published last year. Of those, only 10 percent attend mass regularly, the survey in Le Monde des Religions magazine showed.

Known as the Catholic church's "eldest daughter" since Frankish king Clovis converted in the fifth century, France is shaping up as a testing ground for the Catholic church's revival in Europe.

"Statistically, the church is in the red," commented Michel Kubler, the editor in chief for religious issues for the Catholic newspaper La Croix.

"All the indicators are down, from church attendance to baptisms to the number of priests."

France last year overtook Ireland as Europe's fertility champion, with women giving birth on average to two children, but a majority of babies are now being born out of wedlock.