La Croix (; English: 'The Cross') is a daily French general-interest Roman Catholic newspaper. 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, 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, 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 (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, 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 and also helped to create a formal link between the Catholic Working Youth and the French Roman Catholic Church. During the Second World War La Croix moved its editorial offices first to Bordeaux, then to Limoges. The paper was shut down comparatively late in the occupation, on