Christian faith as a source of support for young people today?
Finding stability and meaning is a struggle, especially for young people. Religious and philosophical traditions are no longer automatically passed on to the next generation and are increasingly losing their role as a social fabric. Talking about meaning and faith, whether in private or in public, proves difficult when a shared language and the space to do so are lacking.
Christian influencers and adult baptisms
At the same time, several media outlets recently reported that religion is gaining ground among young people in Europe, and that public figures draw strength from their faith. Christian influencers are gaining an ever-growing following. The number of adults being baptized in the Catholic Church is also rising. It seems that both millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) are seeking a closer connection to religion than previous generations.
Questions
This renewed interest in faith raises a number of questions: How do these young people experience their search for meaning or their Christian convictions? Are more traditionalist movements gaining popularity? If so, which desires do they address? How do young people relate to more progressive movements and to the institution of the Church? What do terms such as ‘authenticity’ and ‘identity’ mean in this context? And how can we interpret this renewed interest, its scale and diversity, in light of the current socio-cultural landscape?
The schedule
This symposium focuses on young people’s search for meaning within the framework of the Christian tradition.
In his lecture, Guido Vanheeswijck (professor emeritus, University of Antwerp / KU Leuven) outlines the context of secularization and the contemporary shifts in the socio-cultural landscape within which these new phenomena can be interpreted.
Three young people, Jana De Smet, Anton Milh and Stacey Osei, speak about their personal spiritual journeys and experiences of faith in relation to Christianity today.
Finally, Liesbeth Corvers (Diocese of Hasselt), church historian Karim Schelkens (Tilburg University) and sociologist of religion Wim Vandewiele (KU Leuven) reflect on the insights from the previous panel discussion.
Sofi Van Ussel (Kamino) and Johan Van der Vloet (Tertio) guide the discussions.
Programme
1:30 pm
Welcome
2:00 pm
Opening remarks by UCSIA & Tertio
2:15 pm
The comeback of God: meaningful longing or dangerous nostalgia? – Guido Vanheeswijck
Today, modern conceptions of the world, humanity and God are under pressure. Remarkably, God has recently made a comeback among Gen Z as a response to a spiritual and existential void in contemporary society. Is there something amiss with liberal democracy? Should we welcome this return or should we instead be cautious?
These questions formed the basis of the double issue God is terug (God is back), published by De Groene Amsterdammer on 17 December 2025. “We’re going through a lot and Jesus gives us peace,” testify Gen Z youngsters, unburdened by the religious aversion of earlier generations. In Dutch literature, too, the once self-evident rejection of God has faded. “For the editors of De Groene Amsterdammer, all this was reason enough to devote the final issue of the year to God’s return, both in politics and in the search for a meaningful life. An exciting choice, we thought, for a fundamentally secular magazine,” says editor-in-chief Xandra Schutte.
In Flanders, too, magazines such as Humo and De Morgen, which can hardly be suspected of Catholic proselytism, published interviews with young people in January this year under the headlines: “Young people seem to be believe in God again: ‘It is striking that they are often highly educated’” and “‘Before I became a Christian, I thought faith was for weak people’: young ‘Godfluencers’ on their conversion”.
But what should we make of this comeback of God? The question becomes all the more pressing in light of current developments in the United States, where Catholicism is increasingly being deployed in a political and cultural struggle for power. Anyone today who feels drawn to Christianity or Catholicism cannot do so in naïve ignorance: they, too, see how faith can be mobilized in various ways, and how victimhood can be elevated into a moral weapon. Precisely for this reason, the central question today is: how should we interpret and understand this rediscovery, whether real or perceived, of the Christian/Catholic heritage?
Guido Vanheeswijck is professor emeritus at the University of Antwerp and the KU Leuven. He is editor of Streven vrijplaats and columnist for Tertio. He recently published Onbeminde gelovigen (Unloved believers, 2019) and Tegendraadse beschouwingen (Contrarian reflections, 2022). The latter won the prize for spiritual book of the year.
3:00 pm
Coffee break
3:15 pm
Panel - Young people's struggles: what do young people themselves say about their spiritual quest or faith experience in relation to Christianity today?
Three young people – Jana De Smet, Anton Milh and Stacey Osei – share their experiences in searching for meaning.
Moderator: Sofi Van Ussel (Director of Kamino)
4:00 pm
Panel – Young people and faith in focus: experts on generational differences and current trends
Moderator: Johan Van der Vloet
(editor-in-chief of Tertio)
Panel: Liesbeth Corvers (Diocese of Hasselt), Karim Schelkens (Tilburg University) & Wim Vandewiele (KU Leuven)
Liesbeth Corvers works as the episcopal delegate for youth ministry in the Diocese of Hasselt. She is the main contact for projects related to student ministry and faith. In addition, she is a board member of the Diocesan Office for Catholic Education.
Karim Schelkens is Professor of the History of Religion at Tilburg University and a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Theology of KU Leuven. Since 2013, he has served as Secretary-General of the European Society of Catholic Theology. He has edited several volumes on Vatican II.
Wim Vandewiele is a sociologist and socio-cultural anthropologist, and a professor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies (KU Leuven). He is a member of the Research Unit for Pastoral and Empirical Theology, holds the Léon de Foere Chair, and coordinates the Research Group for Safeguarding in the Church.
4:45 pm
Closing remarks
5:00 pm
