Pope Léon XIV visited the Institut catholique de Paris (ICP) on Saturday, September 26, where he met with individuals preparing for baptism, those who had recently been baptized, and others helping them on their spiritual journey. During the visit, held at the historical headquarters of the "Catho de Paris," the pope listened to personal stories from a catechumen (a person preparing for baptism), a neophyte (someone newly baptized), and an accompanier (a guide or mentor in the faith). In a speech, he expressed surprise at the growing number of adults in France seeking the sacrament of Christian initiation, a rite of passage that includes baptism and confirmation. The pope noted that this trend is happening in a country like France, where secularism is deeply ingrained in public life. Over the past five years, the number of baptisms among both adolescents and adults has been rising, with 21,386 recorded this year alone. He emphasized the importance of supporting those preparing for baptism, those newly baptized, and those returning to the faith, highlighting the need for a welcoming and inclusive community. Angeline Mandoux, 31, who will be baptized in 2027, said the pope’s visit affirmed her decision to join the Church. Before becoming involved, she imagined church services to be dominated by older people, but now she attends a lively parish with people of all ages. The Church sees the integration of newly baptized individuals as a delicate and important challenge. Bishops from Île-de-France, the region surrounding Paris, have formed a working group to address this issue and shared their progress with the pope. He stressed the need for continued support and community engagement after baptism, acknowledging that many face the question of how to avoid a sense of emptiness or "void" after receiving the sacrament. This reflection highlights the ongoing spiritual journey that baptism is meant to begin. Léon XIV is the second pope to visit the ICP since Pope Jean-Paul II in 1980. The institute also houses a Carmelite convent from the 17th century, where Laurent de la Résurrection (1614-1691), a spiritual figure referenced by the current pope, once lived. The pope also visited a memorial honoring the "martyrs of September 2, 1792," a group of 100 priests who resisted the French Revolution and were executed in the convent’s gardens, which had been turned into a prison during that time.