With over 800 thousand births in 2007, France remains the most fertile country in Europe. The highest number of births happened in unmarried couples, exceeding the symbolic threshold of 50% of those of married couples. Catholic religious marriages are plummeting: according to statistics from the French Bishops Conference, the number has decreased by 60% from 1980 and keeps decreasing. In the leading article published on the Catholic newspaper La Croix, Dominique Quinio comments the statistics about the rise in births and the drop in marriages in France: "A child has now become the strongest bond, the one that in principle (but reality is far from being so) does not break up or relax. One remains a parent for life, a child for life, even if one is no longer a husband or wife". Therefore, according to the leader writer, "the 2007 statistics are evidence of a deep change in family models". "Lasting comments Quinio has become the most positive adjective only when speaking of development, agriculture, tourism and energy … It suggests more respectful and harmonious lifestyles. Even the 800 thousand children who were born this year dream of having a lasting family".
