Record number of adults and teenagers baptized by RCC in France at Easter

Baptism. Photo: Fernando Rayo/Shutterstock

In 2026, the Catholic Church in France recorded a major influx of new converts: more than 20,000 people received the sacrament of Baptism during the Easter Vigil. According to EWTN News, 13,200 adults and 8,200 teenagers joined the Church’s communities.

Most of the new members of the Church are young people between the ages of 18 and 25, followed by those aged 26 to 40. Women make up the majority of the neophytes – about 62% of the total. Geographically, the largest numbers of baptisms were recorded in Paris (3,184), Marseille (1,437), and Lyon (1,200).

Most of the catechumens had previously belonged to no religious tradition. They were led to seek God through difficult life trials, a deep search for meaning, or spiritual encounters that left a lasting mark on their lives.

Archbishop of Lyon Olivier de Germay, who is responsible for catechesis in the country, acknowledged that the "magnitude of the thirst for God" has come as a surprise to the clergy. Although society has long been aware of the world’s failure to provide answers to "the deep aspirations of the human being," the French prelate expressed his surprise at the “rapidity and magnitude of the thirst for God manifesting itself today.”

He stressed that such an influx requires the Church to develop new approaches to spiritual guidance and to the integration of converts into Christian life.

In response, eight dioceses in the Île-de-France region have created a special “Catechumens and Neophytes” council, which will operate until May 2027. The participants plan to gather feedback from the faithful and develop common recommendations for involving new members more fully in the liturgical life of their communities.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that 13 Argentinians were received into Orthodoxy at a Serbian church in Buenos Aires.

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