Newly baptized Catholic: France moving from inherited to a chosen Christianity

By Isabella H. de Carvalho – Paris As the world seems to be moving away from faith and increasingly more people say they do not identify with any religion, several nations have seen an increase in the number of adults choosing to get baptized and discover Catholicism. One of these is France where over 13,000 adults were baptized during Easter in 2026. The number of baptisms has increased by 28% in comparison to 2025 and in 10 years has more than tripled. On Saturday, several of these newly baptized and catechumens – those who have begun preparing to receive the Sacraments of Christian Initiation – had a chance to see Pope Leo XIV during his visit to the Catholic University of Paris (Institut catholique de Paris) on September 26, as part of his Apostolic Journey to France.