I’ve never felt more hopeful for the future of Western civilization than I did mere days ago, standing shoulder to shoulder with over 1 million Gen Zers from every corner of the globe, sandwiched together in the heart of Rome.

Over cheers, laughter, and euphoric singing and dancing, I witnessed a sea of young, vibrant souls in Saint Peter’s Square poised to change the world. This wasn’t just another rally—it was the Jubilee of Youth, a weeklong spiritual pilgrimage hosted by the Vatican drawing more than one million teenagers and young adults from some 146 nations.

As Pope Leo XIV celebrated the closing Mass, he shared, “You are the sign that a different world is possible,” urging them to live according to Jesus’s example, resolved in solidarity, holiness, and dialogue—not merely conforming to the relative morality of our increasingly secular culture. That spectacle was more than grandeur; it was a declaration: Generation Z is embracing Catholicism with a fervor unlike anything I’ve witnessed in my lifetime.

From small town U.S.A. chapels to urban parishes in London, the statistical upsurge is undeniable. In the United States, dioceses like Fort Worth reported a 72% increase in young adult conversions between 2023 and 2024, contributing to the 6% national increase in the number of young Americans identifying as Catholic observed in that single year.

Across the pond, young

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