Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- As Pope Benedict XVI begins his visit to France today, a 19th-century church in Arc-sur-Tille in Burgundy stands with cracks in the façade, grass on the roof and pigeons in the bell tower.

The church closed in 1989 after masonry fell from its cornice, and a succession of local councils has argued over the 1.5 million euros ($2.1 million) needed for restoration. The case of Arc-sur-Tille, a village of 2,500 people in farmlands outside Dijon, is increasingly common in France, where the Catholic Church has lost its central role in people's lives.

Supporters of the churches are counting on the Pope's four- day visit, his first since becoming pontiff in 2005, to make a difference. Benedict will hold an outdoor Mass in Paris, lead services at the Notre Dame cathedral, the sanctuary of Lourdes, and speak at a renovated 13th century Cistercian abbey in the capital.

``I hope the Pope's visit raises the recognition that the Church isn't just about pastoral matters but is also a key part of our national patrimony,'' said Beatrice de Andia, who runs the Paris-based Observatoire du Patrimoine Religieux charity that defends religious edifices.

Of France's 87,000 Catholic buildings, about one quarter are dilapidated, de Andia said. The churches are hostage to a 1905 law on the separation of church and state, which transferred ownership and upkeep of France's 45,000 parish churches to municipalities. They must now decide between spending on churches with falling attendance and demand for day-care and sports centers.

Catholics, Jews, Muslims

``Our Church has difficulties that are there for everyone to see,'' Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris, said on Sept. 8. In 2006, 39 percent of babies were baptized, according to figures from state statistics institute Insee and the Conference of French Bishops. In 1996, it was 55 percent.

About a third of marriages were celebrated with a Catholic Mass in 2006, down from 44 percent 10 years earlier. The number of confirmations fell 35 percent in a decade to 51,595 in 2006.

In 2006, France became the first non-Scandinavian country with more children born to unwed parents than to married ones.

A poll of 4,794 adults in April 2007, for Patrimoine magazine by TNS-Sofres, showed that 15 percent of Catholics regularly attend services, compared with 34 percent for Protestants, 32 percent for Muslims and 25 percent for Jews.

The poll found that 59 percent of French people are Catholic, 3 percent Muslim, 2 percent Protestant, and 1 percent Jewish. Twenty-nine percent said they had no religion. By comparison, 14 percent of Americans have no religion, according to the 2008 Statistical Abstract. Among people under 35 years old, 44 percent of the French claim to be Catholic.

Flamboyant Gothic

Declining attendance at France's churches shouldn't be an excuse to neglect them, de Andia said. ``These buildings have an historical, architectural and artistic importance that goes beyond their religious use.''

The average cost of maintaining a church is 12,000 euros a year, a study by the Archbishop of Dijon shows.

Les Riceys, surrounded by vineyards in the south of the Champagne region, has three churches, all built before the 16th century and each listed as national monuments, though the population of 1,376 no longer justifies keeping them open.

Only by closing two could the town last year afford to renovate the third. The abandoned churches, one flamboyant Gothic, the other early Gothic, are boarded up.

Other religious buildings find new uses. After a seven-year renovation, two chapels in the Paris suburb of Chelles, built between the 13th and 16th centuries and abandoned in the 1970s, will be inaugurated as art centers during the Pope's visit.

President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla, will meet the Pope on his arrival at Paris's Orly airport. The Interior Ministry expects 200,000 people to attend Benedict's outdoor mass in front of the Invalides tomorrow morning.

Maintenance Costs

In Arc-sur-Tille, the Saint Martin neo-classical church, which opened in 1831, seats 400 people. Shifting water tables have damaged the support pillars, and the weight of the bell tower is cracking the walls. Parishioners worship in a prefabricated building that once housed farm equipment.

About 200 donors, some as far away as Canada, have contributed 110,000 euros toward restoration. Andre Fanjaud, the 69-year-old president of a local association to save the church, said he has pledges for 100,000 euros more. Regional and central government would also contribute, he said.

``I understand that in a village with several churches, a decision must be made,'' Fanjaud said. ``But this is our only church. It's the town's only historic monument.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@Bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 12, 2008 02:31 EDT