Ralliement (Catholicism in France)

The Ralliement refers to the policy adopted by some Catholics in France to support the French Third Republic following the publication of the papal encyclical Au milieu des sollicitudes on February 16, 1892, by Pope Leo XIII. Supporters of this position were called the Ralliés (Rallying Catholics).

According to Bruno Dumons, "The emergence of a more moderate Republic encouraged Catholics to embrace reconciliation. By endorsing openness, Roman and episcopal authorities fostered initiatives attempting a conservative Catholic right-wing experiment, which renounced monarchy and accepted republican institutions."

This policy of rapprochement with French secular republicanism initially generated great hope among the Ralliés—Christian democrats and liberal Catholics—but was shattered by the Dreyfus affair at the end of the 19th century. "The wave of anti-Semitism that followed engulfed French Catholicism, despite a handful of Dreyfusards. This well-documented episode caused a political crisis, resulting in divided Catholic political stances—from the Action Française (1898) to Le Sillon (1899)—and a republican 'defense government' seeking to revive secularism out of fear of clericalism."