Is the Gen-Z religious revival real or hype? | Jesuitical podcast

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with Ryan Burge, author of the “Graphs about Religion” Substack and the new book, The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us. They discuss the polarization of U.S. Christianity and the supposed Gen-Z “religious revival.” In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac discuss some highlights from Pope Leo’s trip to Africa; what Pope Leo called the not-exactly-accurate media narrative around him and President Trump; and the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death. 00:00 A Gen-Z religious revival? 4:38 Highlights of Pope Leo's trip to Africa 10:05 VP Vance questions Pope Leo's theology 20:37 Remembering Pope Francis 22:50 Moderate Christianity is vanishing 25:49 U.S. religion is coded "conservative" 34:54 Catholic demographic trends 37:15 Political implications 40:53 Are young people going back to church? 48:18 Winner churches 52:56 Gen-Z religious trads 1:04:08 Faith Sharing: Pope Francis' humble tomb Links: Order Ryan’s book, The Vanishing Church: https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Church-Hollowing-Congregations-Polarization/dp/1587436698 Graphs about Religion: https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com Pope Leo walks in the footsteps of St. Augustine in Hippo: https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/14/pope-leo-annaba-hippo-augustine Pope Leo denounces those who use the name God for military gain: https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/16/pope-leo-cameroon-peace Pope Leo named one of Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People of 2026’: https://www.americamagazine.org/news/2026/04/17/pope-leo-time-influential-people Pope Leo remembers ‘the great gift’ of Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death: https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/21/pope-leo-francis-anniversary-death/ Please consider supporting this content by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe ****** Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America