Charles Mercier

Official data shows that only 30% of children are baptized in France today, a decline that cannot be offset by the surge in adult baptisms.

It is far from certain that the overall number of Catholics is actually increasing, says Charles Mercier, a historian and sociologist of Catholicism at the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris.

My apologies for ruining the French language there.

At the same time, he said, France is experiencing something of a Catholic moment, marked by greater visibility in popular culture, media, and social networks.

Official data shows that only 30% of children are baptized in France today, a decline that cannot be offset by the surge in adult baptisms.

It is far from certain that the overall number of Catholics is actually increasing, says Charles Mercier, a historian and sociologist of Catholicism at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris.

My apologies for ruining the French language there.

At the same time, he said France is experiencing something of a Catholic moment, marked by greater visibility in popular culture, media, and social networks.