It is essential to have a clear idea of the numerical strength of the various religious denominations in France, if we are to assess correctly the present effort towards Christian unity in that country. The great majority of the population is Catholic, at teast in name; Protestants, Calvinist and Lutheran (leaving sects like Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists out of account) number about 750,000; the Greek and Russian Orthodox come to a few thousand.

Thus the religious bodies adhering to the World Council of Churches represent a tiny minority in France. This explains why their problems, whatever their intrinsic interest, remain in the background. The movement for Christian unity in France hinges primarily on the relationship between Protestants and Catholics.