''La Croix'' (; English: 'The Cross') is a daily French general-interest
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
. It is published in Paris and distributed throughout France, with a circulation of 91,000 as of 2020. ''La Croix'' is not explicitly left or right on major political issues, and adopts the Church's position, although it is not a religious newspaper; its topics are of general interest, including world news, the economy, religion and spirituality, parenting, culture, and science.
Early history
Upon its appearance in 1880, the first version of ''La Croix'' was a monthly news magazine. The
Augustinians of the Assumption
The Assumptionists, officialy named the Congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption ( la, Congregatio Augustinianorum ab Assumptione) abbreviated AA,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (priests and b ...
, who ran the paper, realised that the monthly format was not getting the widespread readership that the paper deserved. Therefore, the
Augustinians of the Assumption
The Assumptionists, officialy named the Congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption ( la, Congregatio Augustinianorum ab Assumptione) abbreviated AA,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (priests and b ...
, decided to convert to a daily sheet sold at one penny. Accordingly, ''La Croix'' transitioned into a daily newspaper on 16 June 1883. Father
Emmanuel d'Alzon Emmanuel d'Alzon (August 30, 1810 – November 21, 1880) was a leading figure of the Catholic Church in France in the 19th century.
Biography
Early years
He was born the oldest of four children, in Le Vigan, Gard, in southern France, to an Aristoc ...
(1810–1880), the founder of the
Assumptionists and the
Oblates of the Assumption, started the paper. Also, ''La Croix's'' biggest early advocate was Father . La Bonne Presse was the first publishing house of the newspaper, which would be called Bayard Presse in 1950.
''La Croix'' succeeded in bringing together certain groups of Roman Catholics who were seeking to position themselves outside of party politics and official ideologies. At the end of the 19th century, it was the most widely read Roman Catholic publication in France, with a clerical readership of more than 25,000. It gained more readers when it took the lead in attacking
Dreyfus as a traitor and stirred up anti-Semitism. The Radical government, under
Waldeck-Rousseau
Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau (; 2 December 184610 August 1904) was a French Republican politician who served as the Prime Minister of France.
Early life
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Brittany. His father, René W ...
, forced the Assumptionists into exile from France. The newspaper's publishing house, la Bonne Presse, was purchased by
Paul Féron-Vrau, who oversaw operations until the Assumptionists returned to France under the amnesty laws of 1905.
Renewal
For many years, ''La Croix'' appeared in two formats. The first was a small-format periodical aimed at popular readership, the second a large-format newspaper aimed at a more intellectual audience. In 1927, Father Leon Merklen having become editor-in-chief, ''La Croix'' began to address social problems. This was led to the initiative founding
Catholic Action
Catholic Action is the name of groups of lay Catholics who advocate for increased Catholic influence on society. They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, Ita ...
and also helped to create a formal link between the
Catholic Working Youth and the French Roman Catholic Church.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
''La Croix'' moved its editorial offices first to
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, then to
Limoges
Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...
. The paper was shut down comparatively late in the occupation, on 21 June 1944. It would not reappear until February 1945. Father Gabel oversaw the relaunch of the paper. Editor-in-chief from 1949, he introduced new sections, such as sports, cinema, fashion, and theatre. On 1 February 1956, ''La Croix'' began to appear for the first time without a
crucifix
A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...
as a part of its header. In March 1968, the newspaper adopted a
tabloid format.
In January 1972, the newspaper changed its name to ''La Croix-l’Événement'' ("the Cross-the Event"). The choice of the new title was a reflection of the editorship's desire to show that the paper was not just a religious paper, but a regular daily, reflective of modern society. The paper has a very loyal readership: 87% of its sales are by subscription.
Centennial
![La Croix newspaper nameplate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/La_Croix_newspaper_nameplate.jpg)
To celebrate its centennial in 1983, ''la Croix-l’Événement'' took on a newer layout. The paper added new sections with the arrival of Noël Copin, editor-in-chief. The readership continued to decline, but the new team led by Bruno Frappat, former editing director of ''Le Monde'' who arrived in January 1995, hopes to fight against this trend of general disaffectation with the press which is plaguing a large number of French newspapers. (A regular printing in 1998 would be of about 127,000 copies).
Bayard Press is reacting to this with a double strategy. On the one hand, they are investing in the modernisation of ''La Croix'', with electronic editing and a full electronic archive of the paper. On the other hand, they have increased their diversification, taking on a bigger presence in French children's press and adding new publications of a Catholic nature. They have also been involved in coproducing children's
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
and turning certain titles, such as ''Notre temps'', into international publications.
The paper's efforts have met with some success and in 2005 reported a 1.55% increase in circulation. Today, ''La Croix'' is one of only three daily national French newspapers to turn a profit, and the most successful in growing its circulation in the 21st century. In 2019, the newspaper's circulation amounted to 87,682 copies. In 2020, the newspaper's circulation amounted to 86,440 copies.
![Change in Newspaper Circulation in France, 1999-2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Change_in_Newspaper_Circulation_in_France%2C_1999-2011.png)
The editors of ''La Croix'' observed another centennial on 12 January 1998 (the publication of Émile Zola's ''
J'accuse…!
"''J'Accuse...!''" (; "I Accuse...!") is an open letter that was published on 13 January 1898 in the newspaper ''L'Aurore'' by Émile Zola in response to the Dreyfus affair. Zola addressed President of France Félix Faure and accused his govern ...
'', the opening salvo in the public defense of Dreyfus) by examining the newspaper's role in the
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...
. Whereas in 1898 they published "Down with the Jews!" and labeled Dreyfus as "the enemy Jew betraying France," the editors in 1998 stated "Whether Assumptionists or laymen, the editors of ''La Croix'' had at the time an inexcusable attitude."
The Iraq war and the firing of Alain Hertoghe
In December 2003, the newspaper ''La Croix'' made headlines after firing one of its own journalists,
Alain Hertoghe
Alain Hertoghe (born 1959) is a Belgian journalist, formerly an employee of the French Catholic newspaper ''La Croix''. He was fired in December 2003 after writing a book critical of the coverage of the U.S. invasion of Iraq by French newspapers ' ...
, for writing a book that was allegedly damaging to the newspaper's editorial line. Hertoghe accused the four major French newspapers—''
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'', ''
Le Figaro
''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...
'', ''
Libération
''Libération'' (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Initially positioned on the far-left of France's ...
'' and ''
Ouest-France
''Ouest-France'' ( ; French for "West-France") is a daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on both local and national news. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départments within the régio ...
''—in addition to ''La Croix'', of biased reporting during the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
war in Iraq
This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Iraq and its predecessor states.
Other armed conflicts involving Iraq
* Wars during Mandatory Iraq
** Ikhwan raid on South Iraq 1921
* Smaller conflicts, revolutions, coups and periphery confli ...
.
References
Bibliography
* Alain Fleury, ''« La Croix » et l'Allemagne. 1930-1940'', Paris, Le Cerf, 1986
External links
''La Croix'' online*
Regular French Press Review- Radio France International
''La Croix'' digital archives from 1880 to 1944in
Gallica, the digital library of the
BnF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croix
1880 establishments in France
Catholic newspapers
Catholicism in France
Christian democracy
Conservative media in France
Daily newspapers published in France
Newspapers established in 1880
Newspapers published in Paris