The Pope at the Catholic Institute of Paris: "Amazed by the boom in adults asking for the sacraments"

The Pope, in the meeting at the Catholic Institute of Paris, admits that he is "amazed by the number of people who reappear on the threshold of faith and by how many adults ask for the sacraments of Christian initiation. It may seem paradoxical - observed Leo And instead "your experience and your testimony, dear catechumens and neophytes, are the tangible sign of the work of God's grace, which goes beyond statistical and sociological analyses", added the Pontiff, quoting Pope Francis who spoke, in this regard, of "sterile pessimism".

In France there is a real boom in baptisms requested by young adults. According to data from the French Episcopal Conference, 21,386 catechumens were baptized on Easter night this year, including 13,234 adults and 8,152 adolescents. The increase compared to 2025 is almost 20%, with a more marked growth among adults (+28%) than adolescents (+10%).

The Pope asked to accompany this new discovery of faith by young people with adequate spiritual formation.