Ideas

What I Lost When I Gave Up My Catholicism

Can the Church bring back the formerly faithful?

First published in The Atlantic on December 24, 2025.

by Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic

January 1, 2026 | reading time: 9 Min.

Catholicism is hot right now. The new American pope is popular for speaking his mind on political subjects such as AI and the death penalty. On Instagram and TikTok, Catholic influencers rank local Masses and their favorite Christmas hymns, and priests go viral for DJ’ing raves, while others protest ICE raids. The Catholic Church is at the center of the new Knives Out film, which premiered at No. 1 on Netflix this month. And more and more young people are going to Mass.