Catholic Church in France initiates major reform amid growing number of new believers

The Provincial Church Assembly of Ile-de-France, designed to adapt church life to the rapid increase in the number of adults embracing Catholicism, has officially opened in Paris. The initiative, which brings together nine dioceses in the region, aims to develop new strategies for accompanying and integrating neophytes into Christian communities.

According to the Catholicnews.org.ua news portal, the inauguration of the assembly took place at Notre Dame Cathedral. The reason for this was the “unprecedented influx of catechumens” (persons preparing for baptism), which requires the Church to rethink pastoral practice. More than 30,000 people, including priests, lay people and converts themselves, have already participated in preliminary consultations that began at the beginning of the year.

The project, entitled “Catechumens and neophytes: new perspectives for the life of the Church in our dioceses,” covers the Archdiocese of Paris, the dioceses of Versailles, Nanterre, Saint-Denis, Créteil, Meaux, Pontoise, Evry-Corbeille-Esson and the Military Ordinariate. The work program of the assembly runs until spring 2027 and includes three main sessions to discuss the proposals received from the consultations.

The assembly will focus on three key issues: the quality of the reception of catechumens from different social backgrounds, their long-term accompaniment after baptism for full integration into church life, and the transformation of the communities themselves, called to renewal through an influx of new believers