Editing Paris Commune (section)

=== Anti-clericalism ===
[[File:Commune de Paris réunion de femmes (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|right|The Church of [[Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois]] was briefly turned into a Socialist women's club]]
From the beginning, the Commune had a hostile relationship with the [[Catholic Church in France|Catholic Church]]. On 2 April, soon after the Commune was established, it voted a decree accusing the Catholic Church of "complicity in the crimes of the monarchy." The decree declared the separation of church and state, confiscated the state funds allotted to the Church, seized the property of religious congregations, and ordered that [[Catholic schools]] cease religious education and become secular.
Over the next seven weeks, some two hundred priests, nuns and monks were arrested, and twenty-six churches were closed to the public. At the urging of the more radical newspapers, National Guard units searched the basements of churches, looking for evidence of alleged sadism and criminal practices. More extreme elements of the National Guard carried out mock religious processions and parodies of religious services. Some churches, like [[Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois]], were turned into socialist meeting clubs.

Early in May, some of the political clubs began to demand the immediate execution of Archbishop Darboy and the other priests in the prison. The Archbishop and a number of priests were executed during Bloody Week, in retaliation for the execution of Commune soldiers by the regular army.{{sfn|Milza|2009a|pp=350–354}}