While France seems to be becoming more detached more from its Christian roots, would a opposite wind rise? Young people, families, intellectuals: more and more of them reconnect with rooted, demanding, demanding Catholicism riche liturgically. And some even believe that the new pope, Leon XIV, could reintegrate the proponents of the Latin mass in the fold of the Church. Tribune.
In a French society won by secularization, the loss of benchmarks and consumer individualism, a spiritual phenomenon emerges against the tide: the Renaissance of traditional Catholicism. Carried in particular by a youth, this discreet but solid awakening gives life to liturgical forms that were believed to be condemned after Vatican Council II. This is how traditionalists intend to regain a space conducive to their faith and which attracts more and more aficionados of the Missel.
An ancient liturgy, a timeless spirit
Contrary to popular belief, the Tridentine Mass was not invented by Pius V, but codified from traditions dating back to the first centuries of the church. It has been enriched over the centuries, without sudden rupture. The Council of Trent (1542), from which it came, aimed to assert the faith in the face of modern heresies. It is this doctrinal fidelity that the Saint-Pie X priestly fraternity still defends today, founded by Mgr Lefebvre, excommunicated for having crowned bishops without the agreement of the Pope (1988).
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This movement, long marginalized and reduced to its caricatural expression, today appeals to an increasing number of faithful, including in young generations. According to a survey ofActu Published in March 2024, the (said) traditionalist communities are clearly increasing, despite-or perhaps because of Roman restrictions. It is estimated that more than 50,000 people claiming this current, distributed in 250 places of worship across France.
Paris, unexpected bastion of the extraordinary rite
The French capital is not to be outdone. Several Parisian churches regularly celebrate according to the old rite: Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet (5th), stronghold of the Saint-Pie X fraternity; Saint-Roch (1st), qualified by Libération of “Rally of extreme right Cathos” ; or Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile (9th), renowned for his careful liturgy.
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In these places, the atmosphere is against modernity: women carry the mantilla, men discover their heads, silence reigns, and prayer is oriented towards Christ, not towards the assembly. The sermon, often virile, doctrinal, even political, contrasts with the sanitized homilies of certain parishes “Progressives”. Long scrutinized from afar, this return to tradition appeals to a fringe of the French population in search of identity and passionate about the lost glories of France. We celebrate Jeanne d’Arc there and pay tribute to Louis XVI, described as king-martyr, victim of the abuses of the Revolution (1793), a chapter also sacrilege for the ” Trades “That was the reform of Vatican II.
Chartres’ pilgrimage: a response to the crisis of the modern world
Since May 68, France remains carried away in a permanent cultural revolution: erasure of the sacred, moral uprooting, sagging of the authority. THE ” progress “ has become a secular religion. However, many now feel the limits of this paradigm. As historian Guillaume Cuchet, specialist in religious sociology underlines: “Vatican II coincided with a socio -cultural revolution, creating a wind so strong that no one was controlling management.” (Radiofrance, October 2021). The return of young people to Catholic traditionalism can therefore be read as a quest for truth, stability and order in an unstable world, even play a key role in the redefinition of France’s spiritual identity, “Elderly church girl”.
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The pilgrimage which links Paris to Chartres, organized by the Association Notre-Dame de Christianity, has become one of the most visible symbols of this renewal. In May 2025, nearly 19,000 pilgrims hit the road, in a joyful and rigorous, singing, praying, sometimes suffering in order to fully experience their faith. The majority are young people.
In parallel, the Saint-Pie X fraternity organizes its own march, in the opposite direction, from Chartres to Paris, bringing together this year more than 5,000 participants. Two crowds, two sensitivities that cross, but animated by the same thirst for absolute in a relativistic world.
A revival on which the new pontiff could surf
Faced with this “ revival », What is the position of the Holy See? The Pontificate of François (2013-2024) was marked by growing hostility towards traditionalists. THE Motu proprio Traditionis Custodes of 2021 has severely restricted the use of the old rite, causing incomprehension and resentment. The death of the Argentinian pope, followed by the election of Pope Leo XIV, rekindled the hopes of a pacification. According to Christian column (May 19, 2025), 56 % of practicing Catholics consider Leon XIV as favorable to tradition. Helped by social networks where certain priests have become real biblical stars, its positioning suggests a possible peaceful reinstatement of traditionalists in the ecclesial fold. Without marginalizing them, the pontiff take advantage of the enthusiasm of the moment in order to be able to bring Christian France to him (barely 29 % of the population declares himself Catholic), replace it on the platform that it deserves and thus counter the influence of Islam which is preponderant in France.
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In a disoriented France, this return of traditional Catholicism is therefore not a simple return to the past: it is a strength of resistance, a sign that the quest for sacred, truth and rooting are not dead. Carried by a fervent youth, this movement affirms that tradition can be a future – and that, in the silence of Masses in Latin, still beats the spiritual heart of France.
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