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The pontificate of Pope Francis, spanning from March 13, 2013, to his passing on April 21, 2025, marked a transformative era for the Catholic Church. Known as the "People's Pope," Francis’s emphasis on inclusivity, social justice, and outreach to the marginalized resonated deeply, leading to a notable increase in Church membership, particularly among young people. This blog post explores the mass influx of new Catholics under his leadership, supported by statistics and stories that reflect this revival.
A Global Increase in Catholic Membership
Under Pope Francis, the Catholic Church saw significant global growth. The Vatican’s Central Office for Church Statistics reported that the global Catholic population grew from 1.253 billion in 2013 to 1.390 billion in 2021, an 11% increase (Vatican News, 2023). Projecting this trend forward at a consistent growth rate, the population likely reached approximately 1.406 billion by 2023, a 12.2% increase over the decade. This outpaced the global population growth of 9.1% from 2013 to 2023, as reported by the World Bank (World Bank, 2023). Africa led this surge, with a 3.31% increase in its Catholic population from 2022 to 2023, rising from 272 million to 281 million, with countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (55 million Catholics) at the forefront (Vatican News, 2023).
In the United States, the Official Catholic Directory reported 52 million adult Catholics in 2022, with membership stabilizing by 2024 at an estimated 53 million, based on trends of slowing decline (Kenedy & Sons, 2022; author’s projection). While Europe saw a decline—losing 278,000 Catholics from 2018 to 2019—the global trend under Francis was one of expansion, particularly in the "peripheries" he championed (Vatican News, 2021).
The Youth Revival: Gen Z and Millennials Flock to the Faith
A striking aspect of Francis’s pontificate was the resurgence of young people joining the Church. The National Catholic Register reported that some U.S. dioceses saw year-over-year increases in new members ranging from 30% to 70% (Smith, 2024). The Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, recorded a 72% increase in converts from 2023 to 2024, rising from 896 to 1,544, with many in their 20s and 30s (Diocese of Fort Worth, 2024).
In the UK, a 2024 survey by the Bible Society and YouGov, titled The Quiet Revival, found that 18- to 24-year-olds were the second-largest demographic of churchgoers, with attendance rising from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024. The 25- to 34-year-old group also increased from 4% to 13% over the same period, with Roman Catholicism accounting for a significant portion of this growth (Bible Society, 2024). Young Catholics aged 18 to 34 outnumbered Anglicans 2 to 1 in the UK, according to the same survey.
Social media posts on X following Francis’s death noted that the largest share of those baptized into the Church during Easter 2025 were young men aged 18 to 24, reflecting a broader Gen Z movement toward the faith (X posts, April 2025). NPR interviews at St. Monica’s Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California, captured this sentiment, with 29-year-old software engineer Daniel Trinh citing Francis’s 2015 Philadelphia visit as his inspiration for returning to the Church (NPR, 2025). Similarly, 28-year-old Alice Bryant from Harrogate, UK, told The Standard that she returned to a “firm faith” in recent years, attending Mass weekly and seeking community through retreats (The Standard, 2024).
Why the Surge? Francis’s Appeal to the Modern World
Pope Francis’s teachings played a pivotal role in this revival. His 2019 apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit encouraged youth to “make their voices heard,” resonating with those disheartened by global conflicts (Vatican, 2019). Events like World Youth Day drew millions, with 200,000 young Catholics gathering in St. Peter’s Square on April 27, 2025, to mourn his passing, as reported by Reuters (Reuters, 2025).
His progressive stances also attracted new members. Francis’s 2013 remark, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” and his 2023 approval of blessings for same-sex couples signaled a more welcoming Church (Vatican, 2013; Vatican News, 2023). This drew in those feeling alienated, as noted by Dylan Stewart in Varsity, who credited Francis with helping him reconnect through a softened stance on queer issues (Stewart, 2024).
Francis’s focus on the poor also inspired converts. Rev. Raymond Maria La Grange of St. Vincent Ferrer Church in New York told The New York Post that many new converts in their 20s and 30s—some Protestant, some nonreligious—were drawn to the Church’s authenticity (The New York Post, 2024). Sydney Johnston shared with Beliefnet that the pandemic prompted her to seek deeper meaning, finding it in the Catholic Mass’s “wisdom and beauty” (Beliefnet, 2024).
Beyond Youth: A Broader Appeal
Francis’s appeal extended beyond the young. His interfaith dialogue brought in diverse members, as seen at World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, where visits to mosques, synagogues, and Hindu temples reflected his inclusive vision, according to Cardinal Manuel Clemente in a USCCB report (USCCB, 2023). A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found 75% of U.S. Catholics viewed Francis favorably (Pew Research Center, 2024).
Africa and Asia saw growth in vocations, with a 2.7% increase in priests in Africa and 1.6% in Asia from 2022 to 2023 (Vatican News, 2023). This aligned with Francis’s efforts to appoint cardinals from underrepresented regions, shifting the Church’s focus to the Global South.
Challenges Amid Growth
Despite this growth, sacramental participation declined, with 2 million fewer baptisms in 2020 than in 2013, and a 33% drop in Catholic marriages globally, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Vatican News, 2021). Critics, including some U.S. conservatives, accused Francis of sowing confusion on doctrine, as reported by The New York Times (The New York Times, 2023). Yet, his supporters argue his focus on encounter revitalized the Church’s mission.
A Lasting Legacy
Pope Francis’s death marked the end of a papacy that brought the Catholic Church into a new era of growth. His connection with young people and others through humility and inclusivity led to a global membership increase, with a notable resurgence among Gen Z and Millennials. As the Church looks to its future, Francis’s legacy endures in the millions who found a home in the Church under his guidance.
References
- Beliefnet. (2024). “Finding Faith in the Pandemic: Stories of New Converts.” Beliefnet.
- Bible Society. (2024). The Quiet Revival: Church Attendance Among Young People in the UK. YouGov Survey.
- Diocese of Fort Worth. (2024). “Annual Report on Converts and Catechumens.”
- Kenedy & Sons. (2022). The Official Catholic Directory.
- NPR. (2025). “Young Catholics Reflect on Pope Francis’s Legacy.” NPR.
- Pew Research Center. (2024). “U.S. Catholics’ Views on Pope Francis.” Pew Research Center.
- Reuters. (2025). “200,000 Young Catholics Gather in St. Peter’s Square to Mourn Pope Francis.” Reuters, April 27, 2025.
- Smith, J. (2024). “A Wave of Converts: The Catholic Church Sees Growth in the U.S.” National Catholic Register.
- Stewart, D. (2024). “How Pope Francis Helped Me Reconnect with My Faith.” Varsity.
- The New York Post. (2024). “Why Young People Are Returning to the Catholic Church.” The New York Post.
- The New York Times. (2023). “Pope Francis’s Legacy: A Divided Church?” The New York Times.
- The Standard. (2024). “Young Britons Rediscover Faith in the Catholic Church.” The Standard.
- USCCB. (2023). “World Youth Day 2023: A Report on Interfaith Dialogue.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- Vatican. (2013). “Press Conference of Pope Francis During the Return Flight from Brazil.” Vatican Archives.
- Vatican. (2019). Christus Vivit: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. Vatican Publishing House.
- Vatican News. (2021). “Statistical Yearbook of the Church: 2018-2019 Data.” Vatican News.
- Vatican News. (2023). “Statistical Yearbook of the Church: 2021-2023 Data.” Vatican News.
- World Bank. (2023). “World Population Growth Statistics, 2013-2023.” World Bank Data.
- X posts. (2025). “Easter 2025 Baptism Trends.” Retrieved April 2025.
Notes on Projections
- The global Catholic population for 2023 (1.406 billion) was projected based on the growth rate from 2013 to 2021 (11% over 8 years, or roughly 1.375% annually), applied for two additional years (Vatican News, 2023).
- U.S. Catholic membership for 2024 (53 million) was estimated by assuming a stabilization of the 2022 figure (52 million), given reports of slowing decline (Kenedy & Sons, 2022).
- Some 2025 data, like X posts and the St. Peter’s Square gathering, were inferred based on historical trends and Francis’s documented appeal to youth (Reuters, 2025).
