Rise in new French catholics catches church by surprise
George Kommattam - September 2026
France, one of Europe's most secularized countries, is seeing an unexpected rise in the number of adults and young people asking for baptism.
The change has caught the Catholic Church by surprise. The number of catechumens — adults and adolescents aged 12 and above preparing for baptism — has risen sharply in recent years. Between 2021 and 2026, their number more than quadrupled.
The trend comes as Pope Leo XIV prepares to visit France from Sept. 25 to 28. During his visit, he is expected to meet people preparing for baptism and learn more about this unusual development in the French Church.
Until 2022, the number of people aged 12 and above asking for baptism in France generally remained between 5,000 and 6,000 each year. Since then, the numbers have grown rapidly.
“This phenomenon was absolutely unexpected and unique,” said Antoine Pasquier, a journalist who has studied young people seeking to become Christians.
But what is bringing these young people to the Church?
Pasquier points to what he calls a striking paradox. As French society has become more secular, some young people appear to be searching more deeply for spiritual meaning.
Many of those seeking baptism did not grow up as practicing Catholics. For them, becoming Christian is not simply something inherited from their families. It is a choice they are making for themselves.
When these new Catholics are asked why they are coming to the Church, their answers are often simple. Some are looking for consolation. Others are searching for meaning, stability or a community where they can belong.
According to Pasquier, the decline of Catholicism may also have changed the way young people see the Church. With fewer people growing up with the faith, some may approach Christianity without the negative ideas about the Church that were more common in earlier generations.
“They're generally looking for a place to find consolation, but also for a framework,” Pasquier said.
The Church is now trying to respond to this unexpected interest.
In 2025, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French Bishops' Conference, acknowledged that the Church had not been prepared for the growing number of catechumens. There was a need for more sponsors and people to accompany those preparing for baptism.
French dioceses are now looking at new ways to welcome these seekers and help them after baptism.
The phenomenon is not limited to France. Similar, though smaller, developments are being seen in the United States, Belgium, Spain, Sweden and Norway. Pasquier notes that in the United States, for example, Generation Z is increasingly attending Mass.
Pope Leo XIV has already shown interest in the French experience. In 2025, he described the growth in catechumens as “very interesting,” especially in a country long regarded as one of the world's most secularized.
Yet France's wider Catholic picture remains difficult. Infant baptisms continue to fall. In 2024, about 175,674 children were baptized, compared with more than 300,000 in 2010.
The growing number of catechumens, therefore, does not reverse the country's wider move away from Christianity.
But it does offer the Church something unexpected: young people who are searching, asking questions and choosing to walk toward faith.
For a Church facing decades of decline, their questions may be just as important as the numbers.
(Image Courtsey: National Catholic Register)
Send your feedback to : onlinekeralacatholic@gmail.com
