Pope Leo challenges France’s growing Church: Baptism is only the beginning

More than 13,000 adults were baptized into the Catholic Church in France at Easter this year, a 28% increase from 2025 and more than triple the number recorded a decade ago, according to Vatican News.

Pope Leo XIV addressed that increase Sept. 26 during his four-day apostolic journey to France, meeting with catechumens, newly baptized Catholics and members of a provincial synodal assembly at the Institut Catholique de Paris. He said he was struck by the number of people “returning to the threshold of the faith” and adults seeking the sacraments of Christian initiation.

The Pope said the number of people embracing the faith in a society he described as deeply secularized should be received as a sign of God’s grace, while warning Catholics not to become “complacent or naively optimistic.” Rather, they must ask themselves questions and set to work on pastoral initiatives, according to the Pontiff.

“It is the Holy Spirit that inspires your Synodal Assembly, and more broadly the life of the Church in France,” the Pontiff remarked. “Filled with wonder at God’s surprising work, what is that we must we do, and where is the Spirit leading us with regard to accompanying catechumens, the newly baptized and those ‘beginning anew’?”

Pope Leo called on the Church in France to become a Church in a “state of initiation,” providing continued guidance to catechumens, newly baptized Catholics and people returning to the faith. He cited a question raised in one participant’s testimony about how Catholics can avoid “post-baptismal emptiness.”

He said newly baptized Catholics should be integrated into Christian communities and prayer groups after baptism and receive formation in Scripture, theology, doctrine, Christian moral life and the liturgy. He also called for training for godparents and pastoral workers who accompany them.

Vatican News interviewed several Catholics participating in the Paris gathering. Robin, 24, who was baptized in 2023, described what he sees as a transition in France from an inherited Christianity to one that is chosen. Cristal, 34, who hopes to be baptized at Easter 2027, said prayer and guidance from a mentor have supported her during the catechumenate. Angelina, also 34 and preparing for baptism, said she had found a “spiritual family” and community in the Church.

Pope addresses young Catholics at Stade de France

The previous evening, about 80,000 young people attended a prayer vigil with Pope Leo at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, according to Vatican News.

During the vigil, François Bigot, an agronomy student and scout leader, asked the Pope how young people could determine where they are called to serve.

Pope Leo said anxiety and uncertainty among young people can stem from uncertainty about the future, unstable emotional relationships and fragile human bonds. He also identified screen fatigue and anxiety about climate change and the international situation as pressures affecting the younger generation. The Pontiff encouraged young people to be compassionate with their peers.

“At the same time, the experience of fragility, any kind of fragility, can become an opportunity for a disciple of Christ to bear witness,” Pope Leo said. “Those who follow Jesus on the path of humble and selfless service are freed from anxiety and find new enthusiasm as they experience inner joy and peace. These feelings are not fleeting or subjective, but are rooted in the certainty of the faith to which we bear witness together as the Church.”

The Pope encouraged young Catholics to combine prayer with service, “adoration and action,” and periods of silence with proclamation. He said discernment takes place within friendship with Jesus and specifically addressed young people considering the priesthood or consecrated life, telling them, “The Church in France needs you!” and encouraging them to be brave and be bold.

Speaking to the French bishops in Lourdes on Sept. 27, Pope Leo again referred to the catechumenate, which he said is now composed mostly of young adults. He called on bishops to welcome them into communities that practice charity and solidarity and to provide doctrinal formation rooted in Scripture.

“To renew hope and give fresh impetus to the Church’s mission in France, which I earnestly desire, there is only one “roadmap,” which is always the same: to make Jesus Christ known and loved, authentically, passionately, again and again,” the Pontiff remarked.

Migrants and people experiencing illness

During a Sept. 26 visit to Maison Bakhita in Paris, a center that provides support and integration services to migrants and refugees, Pope Leo thanked staff and volunteers for providing welcome, listening, formation and friendship.

Leo said the center’s patron, St. Josephine Bakhita, points to the role of women in building what he called a “civilization of love” in contrast with a culture that “leaves cities sick with loneliness.” He said history is shaped not by those who are “dominating the room,” but by those who “make room,” build trust, and encourage life.

The Pope also emphasized mutual exchange in charitable work, saying, “No one is so poor as to have nothing to give; no one is so rich as to have nothing to receive.”

On Sept. 27, Pope Leo visited Accueil Notre-Dame at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, a facility that receives people who are sick or living with disabilities during pilgrimages to the shrine.

Speaking to patients, staff and volunteers, Leo said, “Fragility is not hidden here; instead it becomes the place of a sacred encounter.” He said human dignity cannot be measured or debated and encouraged healthcare workers to accompany sick people with tenderness.

“You are not a burden,” Pope Leo told those who were sick. “You are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church.”

Pope addresses abuse with French bishops

During his Sept. 27 meeting with the French Episcopal Conference at Lourdes, Pope Leo also addressed sexual abuse of minors by clergy and in other Church settings.

He said French bishops had taken measures involving listening, truth, justice, forgiveness, reparation, prevention and protection, and told them, “You must continue along the path you have begun, maintaining the greatest vigilance.”

Pope Leo was also scheduled to meet privately in Lourdes with seven survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. Reuters and AP News reported ahead of the meeting that survivors and advocacy groups were calling for further reforms in the Church’s response to abuse, including its systems of accountability and reparation.

During Mass at Lourdes earlier Sunday, Pope Leo said the call to conversion also applies to the Church herself. He referred to the Church’s “deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors” and said recognizing faults is essential to spiritual growth.

Notre-Dame and the Church in France

Pope Leo also addressed the Church’s mission in France during Vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Sept. 25. The cathedral reopened in December 2024, after five years of restoration following the April 15, 2019 fire.

Recalling the fire and reconstruction, Pope Leo said Notre-Dame is “more than a monument” and described it as a place where “past and future embrace” and “heaven and earth meet.”

He said the cathedral was built for prayer and worship rather than simply to be admired as a stone structure, adding that without the liturgy it “would lose its soul.”

The Pope called on Catholic communities across France to foster a “simple and welcoming missionary presence.” Addressing those gathered at Notre-Dame, he said the cathedral had been “reborn” so that they too might experience “a new impetus towards holiness and daily mission.”