Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France, scheduled for Sept. 25-28, comes at what appears to be a time of grace for a national Church still recovering from decades marked by scandal and decline. It coincides, in fact, with a major institutional overhaul designed to address the new challenges posed by the surge in the number of catechumens in the country since 2022.
Last year, the bishops of Île-de-France — the region encompassing the greater Paris area —announced that they would hold a provincial assembly dedicated to this issue. It is only the seventh such council held within the Church since Vatican II and the first ever devoted specifically to the wave of new converts.The number of people entering the Catholic Church has been on the rise over the last decade, with more than 13,000 people baptizedacross France this Easter, a 28% increase compared to 2025. Increases ranging from 10% to 30% have been recorded over the past four years.
The deliberations, based on parish consultations over the past few months, are in full swing this summer, with the first working session set to open on Oct. 10, shortly after the Pope’s visit to France. The process is expected to
