Record 12,000 People Baptized in France on Easter Sunday
- Milton Quintanilla CrosswalkHeadlines Contributor
- Updated Apr 18, 2024
On Easter Sunday, more than 12,000 people were baptized in France, a country where 50 percent of the population say they do not believe in God.
As reported by the American Magazine, 7,135 adults were baptized and more than 5,000 teenagers aged 11-to-17 were baptized during Easter Vigil on March 30. In 2024 so far, 31 percent more people were baptized, and among adults, there has been an increase from 23 percent to 36 percent in the past year.
"In today's French society, 80 percent 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."
According to the French Bishops Conference, there has been an uptick in baptism requests in the Catholic Church within the last decade despite the acceleration of "de-Christianization.” As noted in the reports, the requests for baptism are evident in larger cities, including a 27 percent increase in Paris from 2023 to 2024.
Regarding demographics, a majority of the requests are from baptisms "from families without religion." For instance, roughly 5 percent 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," Bishop Olivier Leborgne of Arras, president of the Council for Catechesis and the Catechumenate said, adding that the amount of baptisms is happening on a "bewildering scale."
As reported by CBN News, Catholic leaders in France contended that "the Lord has decided to take the lead," when it came to the increase in baptisms.
Bishop Leborgne noted that Easter night in France in 2024 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.
Image credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Popartic
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
