12,000 Souls Baptized in France Reporting 'a Personal Encounter with Christ'

More than 12,000 people were baptized in France on Easter Sunday – a record number for the country where about 50% of the people say they do not believe in God.

The French Bishops Conference reports that despite the acceleration of "de-Christianization," there has been a rise in requests for baptism in the Catholic Church within the last 10 years. 

During an Easter service, 7,135 adults were baptized and more than 5,000 teenagers aged 11 to 17 were baptized, according to America Magazine. 

The report explains that 31% more people were baptized this year than last year and that the number of adults, 18-25 years old, rose from 23% to 36% in the last year. 

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"In today's French society, 80% of young people have not received any religious education," Father Vincent Breynaert, director of the National Youth and Vocations Service, explained in the report presented on March 27. "They have very few preconceived ideas about the Church. What those asking for baptism have in common is that they had a spiritual experience and a personal encounter with Christ." 

The report also outlines that the requests for baptism are noticeable in bigger cities.

In Paris, there was a 27% increase from 2023 to 2024. 

When it comes to demographics, those who are requesting to be baptized are more surprisingly "from families without religion."

Around 5% of newly baptized Christians come from Muslim families.

"It is very surprising to see the often totally unexpected path taken by those who ask to be baptized," said Bishop Olivier Leborgne of Arras, president of the Council for Catechesis and the Catechumenate, who added what is taking place is happening on a "bewildering scale."

Catholic leaders in the country attested that "the Lord has decided to take the lead," because the increase in baptisms cannot be explained otherwise. 

Bishop Leborgne reports that Easter night in France this year was "particularly festive in many Catholic communities." 

"In a rapidly changing world, often disorientated, and a Church that is no less so, it could be that the Lord has decided to take the lead," he shared.