Paix liturgique

The Holy Father's visit to France, with all the crowds on the Champs-Élysées and the Place de la Concorde, and young people at the Stade de France, allowed the Catholics of our country briefly to forget, to bear witness in a hostile society, and to deny, to some extent, their marginalized status.

The success mirrored that of John Paul II’s first trip to France in 1980, which included a Mass at Le Bourget before a huge crowd ("France, eldest daughter of the Church, are you faithful to the promises of your baptism?") and an impressive gathering of young people at the Parc des Princes.

John Paul II’s trip took place then, as this one did now, against the backdrop of a certain "renewal" following the collapse that had occurred after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in 1965.

Indeed, people would later speak of the "John Paul II generation"—a generation marked by a rise in the entries into the preparatory courses preceding priestly formation. The "classic" seminary at Paray-le-Monial flourished for years; that of Saint-Luc in Aix-en-Provence soon followed; and later came the turn of the seminary of Ars, entrusted to the Society of Saint John Vianney.

Yet, the great wave of secularization continued, and that resurgence of the early 1980s faded into oblivion. In 1980, during John Paul II’s first visit to France, there were 40,000 priests (down from 65,000 before the Council) with an average age of 54. Today, only 12,000 remain, with an average age of 75. While 84.7% of the population was baptized in 1980 (92% prior to the Council), today the figure is only 74.9%: 513,000 baptisms in 1980 compared to 180,000 today. And whereas 70% of the French population considered themselves Catholic in 1980, today that figure is just 29%. The number of First Communions stood at 450,000 in 1980; it is now below 70,000. Religious weddings, which once totaled 217,000 annually, have dropped to 40,000. The number of parishes has fallen from 38,000 to approximately 10,000, and practicing Catholics now account for only 1.5% of the population.

However, just as in 1980, there is talk today of a "renewal" driven by the promising rise in adult baptisms: 4,468 in 2020; 3,639 in 2021 (the year of COVID-19); 4,278 in 2022; 5,463 in 2023; 7,135 in 2024; 10,000 in 2025; and 21,000 in 2026. Enrollment in the propedeutic program for priestly formation rose from 99 candidates in 2023 to 145 in 2025. While this is very positive, the 21,000 adult baptisms do not offset the annual deficit of 300,000 infant baptisms; and they prove that the widespread transmission of faith within the family—once characteristic of a Christian society—has vanished, and that what is occurring instead is a wave of individual conversions.

In fact, the most encouraging sign is that these young people who are finding the faith stand in stark contrast to the post-Second Vatican Council generations. Those earlier generations were characterized by a certain "fading out," blending in with the surrounding society; in contrast, today’s young people are generous witnesses to a rediscovered Christian identity. Particularly noteworthy is the appeal these young people find in so-called "identity-focused" young priests, the Community of St. Martin, and traditional communities such as St. Peter, St. Pius X, Christ the King, the Good Shepherd, and others. The pilgrimage to Chartres, which drew over 20,000 young people in 2026—with an average age of 22—is a similar indicator, as is the fact that traditionalists account for 25% of vocations while representing 7% of practicing Catholics (a figure that would be much higher if the traditional liturgy could be freely established in parishes).

More broadly—and we have noted this before (Paix Liturgique France)—what remains of Catholicism in France is clearly becoming more classical and even traditionalist. The profile of young adults returning to the faith or seeking baptism fits into this phenomenon, which was described in a November 2025 *France Culture* radio series titled "Catholics of France: The Radical Temptation" (https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/serie-catholiques-de-france-la-tentation-radicale).

Many priests also appear to align with this new makeup of the faithful. An Ifop survey of French priests, conducted for the French Observatory of Catholicism in October 2025, revealed that:

- 20% of priests prefers a very classical form of the rite—sometimes or often in Latin and/or *ad orientem*, and sometimes in the Extraordinary Form, which 8% stated they celebrated either exclusively or alongside the other form;

- and 60% of the youngest priests considers it to be among their main concerns the achievement of liturgical peace and the solution of all disputes and misunderstandings with the traditionalist world in a peaceful and lasting manner.

As are the faithful, so are their priests. But not their bishops. The gap between the latter and the expectations of their flock is staggering. Did Pope Leo XIV listen to the expectations of this flock acclaiming him but left without shepherds? Has he grasped that this gap must be bridged? Regrettably, it seems unlikely. Moreover, even if he did understand it—as John Paul II and Benedict XVI appeared to grasp it to some extent—he would be just as powerless as they were to remedy the situation within the institutional framework of a synodal, ecumenical and liberal Church open to the world.

Let us continue to pray, like the Parisians who take part in the prayer vigils reciting the Rosary at 10 Rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame (Monday through Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.); at Saint-Georges de La Villette, 114 Avenue Simon Bolivar (Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:00 p.m.); and in front of Notre-Dame du Travail (Sundays at 6:15 p.m.).