Catholic churches across the United States are seeing increases in attendance, especially for Easter.

This comes just a few short months after Pope Leo XIV was interpreted as making a push for more inclusivity within the religion.

'[There is] a thirst and hunger for God and stability that faith brings to people's lives.'

An Italian academic who follows the Vatican said earlier this year that the new pope is likely to continue his predecessor's "trajectories."

Pope Francis famously said in 2013, "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?"

To that end, Pope Leo's comments at the beginning of 2026 were determined by some to signal an increasing tolerance toward those who are typically considered at odds with the Catholic tradition.

"Only love is trustworthy; only love is credible," the pope said in January. "While unity attracts, division scatters."

However, the truth was somewhere in the details. Massimo Faggioli, the academic from Trinity College Dublin, told Reuters that the pope was "working to convince the cardinals that they need to work collectively together to do what the Catholic people want them to do."

As the year has progressed, followers have learned that while the pope told his biographer the church's beliefs about "gay and trans people" has not changed, he added, "but the Church invites everyone."

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Truly progressive messaging was not clearly found in the pope's Lent messaging soon thereafter. He asked parishes to listen to "the word of God, as well as to the cry of the poor and of the earth."

He said Catholics must strive to make their communities places where "the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love."

No matter how one interprets the pope's call to religious arms in 2026, it has seemingly worked, with a recent survey of Catholic parishes showcasing a rather large uptick in attendance.

The New York Times reported at length about the surge in followers, starting with the Archdiocese of Detroit, which will see 1,428 new Catholics for Easter, its highest in 21 years.

Galveston-Houston will see a 15-year peak, while Des Moines has an increase of 51% this year, 265 to 400.

Washington Cardinal Robert McElroy said his congregation is up by nearly 200 — already at its highest in 15 years — while Philadelphia's following has nearly doubled since 2017. Newark has gone from 1,000 Easter-goers in 2010 to 1,700 in 2026.

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McElroy told the Times he thinks the Holy Spirit is behind the surge, while Archbishop Mitchell Thomas Rozanski of St. Louis says the increase could be due to a rise in uncertainty and anxiety.

There is "a thirst and hunger for God and stability that faith brings to people's lives," he said. The archbishop then blamed technology and COVID-19 for magnifying isolation.

The report also claimed that those between 18 and 35 years old were the noted age range that has seen the most growth among several dioceses.

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