With huge turnouts across France at Ash Wednesday Mass, marking the start of Lent, Christian influencers are being credited with bringing young people back to church, with their explanatory videos and practical advice shared on social media attracting a new generation in search of spirituality.
"What's the Bible?" "How do you pray the rosary?" "How do you get closer to God?"
On TikTok, 19-year-old Valentina – AKA Jesusuperfan – has posted countless videos talking about Christianity. With 17,000 subscribers, she describes herself as a "Catholic on a mission".
A practising Christian since 2021, she noticed that at that time there were very few videos on social media about religion. So she decided to "talk about Jesus to share my knowledge and help others".
Her video on "the essentials of Lent", posted on 22 February, was a big hit on the platform, with more than 900,000 views. The success of the video is in line with the momentum of the hashtag #TikTokChristian, which has more than 1.3 million videos on the Chinese-owned social media platform.
Unprecedented turnout
In recent weeks, the start of Lent – the 40-day period of preparation before Easter for Christians – has drawn notable new interest among young people in France, a phenomenon that is being partly credited to the influence of online videos.
In the parishes, attendance at the Ash Wednesday Mass, which marks the start of Lent, exceeded all expectations.
"Everyone was surprised. Some newspapers spoke of a tidal wave and it's true. Everywhere in France there was a massive turnout, especially of young people who came to take part in this mass to start their Lenten journey," observed Father Benoît Pouzin.
A priest for 20 years in the diocese of Valence, southeastern France, nowadays he's a "Christian influencer" too, having started posting on social media two years ago. With a following of 155,000 on TikTok, his videos have amassed several million views.
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According to a survey by the French Bishops' Conference, the number of baptisms for teenagers (aged 11-17) is set to soar from 2,861 in 2023 to 5,100 in 2024, a sign of the growing pull of the Christian faith among the younger generation.
Among adults, 36 percent of baptisms in France involved 18 to 25-year-olds – an increase of 150 percent in five years.
"I think there's a certain amount of emulation. Seeing young people on social networks taking an interest and democratising the expression of their faith makes people want to take an interest and, as a result, there are more conversions," said Victor, 22, a born-again Catholic.
Father Benoît was inspired to begin posting by his discussions with young people. "I noticed that they had a lot of questions, and I try to answer them. You don't arrive with a ready-made catechism. We take a question and try to answer it as simply as possible, in one minute."
'It scares them to go into a church'
For Ophélie, aged 24, who has been observing Lent for three years, these internet personalities are a valuable source of support. "People like Father Damien and Brother Paul-Adrien have helped me to better understand this Lenten period and how to live it," she said.
And she is not alone. Young people are using social media to look for guidance on the practical aspects of the Christian faith, which can seem vague. When to fast? When to pray? There are lots of questions.
In their videos, these modern-day evangelisers explain, advise and offer support. Sister Albertine embarked down this path three years ago and now has 280,000 followers on Instagram.
"I was answering very concrete questions about a life that is a little unknown and opaque, in the sense that people don't really know what the life of a nun is like," she explained.
She finds herself answering questions from young people who find speaking to a nun online less intimidating than going to church in person. "A lot of them tell me that it scares them to go into a church, to talk to a priest. Social networking is the first step in making that journey easier."
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Jean, aged 22, says he is delighted to see Catholicism "come out of the closet and reveal itself on social networks, when it has tended to hide for the last few decades".
Aurélie, 29, who follows a number of Christian influencers, sees their use of social media to spread the word as a way of dusting off the image of religion. "These days, religion is much more popularised, made a little more contemporary, when there was generally this image of faith as a little outdated, very conservative, not open to the world."
"It's a way of adapting to our environment," echoed Mathilde, 25, for whom it's "important to follow people who uplift us".
A mirror effect with Ramadan
But the success of these influencers does not entirely explain the renewed popularity of Lent in 2025. For Father Benoît, the coincidence of the dates with Ramadan (28 February to 30 March) this year has had an impact on the visibility of Lent (5 March to 17 April).
"Muslims are not afraid to say what they are going through. I think a lot of young Christians have said to themselves 'well, we're entering Lent too, it might be a good idea to say so and live it too'. It's our turn not to be afraid to say who we are and what we believe in, while respecting each other."
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Sister Albertine agrees that what could have been perceived as a form of religious competition ultimately turned out to be "something positive".
"I think it was more a moment of religious solidarity. I was able to break the fast with a lot of my Muslim friends. Sharing our experience of fasting and faith, discussing these issues, is very beautiful," echoed Aurélie.
Lent in the digital age
Father Benoît says he is proud to be contributing to this renewal of faith, in an age when "many young people have not received a religious education. This renewed interest is an inner quest. Through prayer, they experience something profound, accompanied by a real sense of communion".
In a world of constant change, with the accompanying anxiety and uncertainty, many are finding answers to the big questions in faith. But is this new age of online spirituality merely another social media fad?
Jean is concerned that Lent is becoming a mere pretext for theatrics on the internet – given that content like "Lent makeup tutorials" is flourishing on TikTok.
But he remains confident, saying: "Religious figures are there to set a framework and remind us of the significance of Lent. The fight against the ostentatious dimension of Lent is becoming one of the objectives of these new influencers."
Father Benoît says his mission is precisely to avoid that. "We have to give substance, depth... because the most important thing is not whether or not we wear makeup or fast, it's really about changing our hearts."
For Sister Albertine, the key is offering support – "being there to answer questions and ensuring that it's not just a fleeting fad on the internet".
This article was adapted from the original French version.
