Young Catholic Converts Rise in U.S. and Europe as 22-Year-Olds Flock to Pope Leo XIV
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 27
Young Catholic Converts Rise in U.S. and Europe as 22-Year-Olds Flock to Pope Leo XIV
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 27
Summary
Young converts are increasing in the United States and Europe, giving the Catholic Church fresh momentum in some of the West’s most secular societies.
Gen Z is driving part of that rise, with some young adults describing a spiritual longing and a return to the faith of their grandparents.
Paris became a focal point during Pope Leo XIV’s France visit, where 22-year-old medical student Léa Guiragossian traveled from Bordeaux to see the pontiff as part of that new wave.
The trend suggests Catholicism is finding renewed appeal among younger Westerners even as church influence has waned across much of Europe.