One important thing is that the state in France owns most/all the churches built before 1905, so they end up paying a lot for renovation. Also keep in mind that

One important thing is that the state in France owns most/all the churches built before 1905, so they end up paying a lot for renovation. Also keep in mind that the Alsace-Lorraine was not part of France in 1905 (part of the German empire), so the separation was never applied there.