In the year since Pope Leo XIV took office, the Catholic Church has seen a surge in conversions, with dioceses across the United States reporting record numbers of adult baptisms. This trend, dubbed the "Leo effect," mirrors the pope's massive popularity in France, where his September visit drew hundreds of thousands to the streets of Paris and an open-air Mass.
According to church officials, the Easter season saw more than 21,000 adult baptisms in France alone, a record for the country. In the U.S., the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reported a 139 percent increase in conversions, while Phoenix saw a 23 percent jump and New York a 36 percent rise. Even Chicago, Pope Leo's home archdiocese, recorded its highest number of conversions since 2013, with a 52 percent increase. Smaller dioceses, such as Rapid City, S.D., and Fairbanks, Alaska, also saw significant numbers.
Many of the new converts are young adults between 18 and 35. A spokesperson for the Diocese of Boise, Idaho, said they were drawn to the "transcendent beauty, clarity, and orthodoxy of the Catholic faith." Archbishop Mitchell Thomas Rozanski of St. Louis observed, "In our age of uncertainty, and in our age of great anxiety, [there] is a thirst and hunger for God and stability that faith brings to people's lives."
A survey of converts from 20 dioceses found that 84 percent were seeking a deeper spirituality or relationship with God, 77 percent wanted to grow in goodness and virtue, 72 percent desired inner peace, and 56 percent sought a church community that connects believers globally. This wave of conversions coincides with Pope Leo's approval ratings: nearly eight in ten U.S. Catholics view him favorably, with 32 percent holding extremely favorable opinions.
Sociologist Robert Putnam's concept of "bowling alone"—the decline of social capital and community ties—helps explain this phenomenon. As Americans increasingly isolate themselves, many are turning to faith communities for connection. In France, 22-year-old Jonas Tauitou-Faron said his generation is "trying to search for meaning in the current world, and some of us are finding religion." Pope Leo echoed this, noting that young people in secular societies "are obviously searching for something."
For some, the path to conversion is digital. Jesse Araujo, 19, of Pahrump, Nevada, said he was drawn to the faith by Catholic podcasts on YouTube. Amen-Ra Pryor, a 23-year-old Howard University student, struggled with depression and loneliness during the pandemic and found the Church's teachings on suffering helpful. Putnam's research shows that church involvement improves relationships and academic engagement, and vibrant parishes like St. Joseph's in New York's West Village and St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Nolita host post-Mass socials for young adults.
This search for community is not new. Alexis de Tocqueville, writing in 1831, warned of the isolating dangers of American individualism, but he saw religion as an antidote, fostering "diametrically opposite" principles that promote democratic habits. Pope Leo, addressing new converts in France, urged them to "be missionaries of the Gospel in this society," a call that resonates as the Church counters what former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called "an epidemic of loneliness and isolation."
The Leo effect appears to be a genuine spiritual and social movement, one that is reinvigorating the Catholic Church and offering a sense of belonging to a generation seeking meaning.
