During his Wednesday address in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV emphasized a clear “renewal” unfolding across France—a nation once defined by Catholic traditions now experiencing a resurgence of spiritual engagement. The pontiff highlighted the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris as a symbol of rebirth, noting its reconstruction after centuries of destruction during the French Revolution and a 2019 fire that left it “more splendid than ever.”
Over 80,000 young people gathered for prayer at the Stade de France stadium north of Paris on Friday alone. An estimated 700,000 attended Mass Saturday in the city center where Louis XVI was executed, while more than 150,000 participated in Lourdes Sunday.
Corentin Dugast, a French author known as “Un Homme Catholique,” observed that the visit has ended “the timidity surrounding the faith, particularly among bishops.” Baptism numbers reflect this shift: 13,234 adults and 8,152 teenagers were baptized at Easter this year—up from 4,278 adults in 2022.
Yet growing alarm emerges from some groups. A member of Miséricorde pour l’Humanité France described feeling “sad” and “helpless,” stating that France’s return to Catholicism is inevitable and they will be “left with nothing but tears.” The group warned American Catholics would flood global influence through “soft power,” undermining Muslim spiritual dominance in Western Europe and Zionist political interests.
A deputy editor of a satirical publication known for targeting religious institutions expressed discomfort at seeing Catholics in confessionals across Paris during the visit, stating such scenes made him recoil. They urged reducing the pope’s mystique to “bring him down to earth.”
The National Federation of Freethought denounced Pope Leo XIV’s visit as a violation of international law, claiming it was designed to glorify Catholicism and criticize public funding for Catholic schools and the pope’s stance on euthanasia.
Despite these reactions, only 29% of urban French residents identify as Catholic—according to 2020 National Institute of Statistics data—underscoring the Church’s ongoing challenges in France.
