France spent decades teaching religion to leave through the front door. It has now found young adults knocking at the side door. More than 13,000 adults were baptised in the Catholic Church in France at Easter 2026. The official figure—13,234—is 28 percent higher than in 2025 and more than triple the number recorded in 2016. This does not mean secular France has suddenly become a monastery. One Easter is not a census, and a baptismal queue is not proof that every pew will remain occupied. Still, the increase deserves more than a shrug. Inherited religion is weakening. Chosen religion may be stirring. That distinction matters. A person baptised as an adult has usually crossed questions, suspicion and inconvenience to reach the font. The French bishops’ survey found that 40 percent of catechumens began seeking baptism after an ordeal triggered a search for meaning. Pain remains an excellent theologian. It asks questions comfort postpones. Modern society has liberated people from many r...
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