Founded in 1924, by
Francisque Gay as
La Vie catholique (
Catholic Life), the magazine was renamed
La vie in 1977. In 1945, the magazine appeared as
La Vie catholique illustrée, as the postwar period placed a great importance on visual magazines (compare
Life Magazine in the US). The magazine was originally targeted at active laity through parish promotions, before eventually being sold on newsstands from 1976. Its editors in chief were
Georges Hourdin,
José de Broucker,
Jean-Claude Petit,
Max Armanet and
Jean-Pierre Denis . Since 1945, the magazine was published by
le groupe de presse La Vie catholique, which in 2003 became a part of the larger . In 2001, created a charitable association which as of 2006 had around three thousand members, based in fifty-odd regional centres across France, called
Les Amis de La Vie (
Friends of La Vie). This organisation gave deeper meaning to the magazine's tagline, "a paper written with its readers", by organising meetings, debates, and summer programmes. The publication is independent of the Catholic hierarchy. Because the group to which the paper belongs was bought by
Pierre Bergé, an LGBT advocate and media tycoon, the publication expressed support or neutrality over
gay marriage in France, amidst pressure from the said owner. ==Organisation of the magazine==