Comment | Is the Catholic Church catching the eye of Gen Z with the power of the image?

"What makes you want to go to church? Few of us do, even for a snoop around. But a recent YouGov survey shows a small yet marked increase in church attendance in the UK, especially by younger people. Among 18-24 year olds (Gen Z), monthly church attendance has quadrupled in the past decade. What most caught my attention was the disparity between where this spiritual revival is taking place; people are turning more to Catholicism than Protestantism. I think much of it has to do with art."

"Where I live in (largely Protestant) Scotland, church attendance is in such decline you can buy a church for less than the price of a car. Culross Abbey in Fife, one of four surviving Scottish medieval monastic sites, was recently on offer for just £35,000. I was tempted. But a quick look at other Church of Scotland churches on the market reveals one of the reasons why they're struggling to attract people; they are bare, empty places."

"Thanks to 16th-century Reformers like John Knox, all the stained glass and art that once filled Scottish churches disappeared long ago. This is fine if you're receptive to spiritual enlightenment through the word and ear, as many were until the later 20th century, when church attendance began to plummet. But if you're seeking a break from the hectic cacophony of the modern world, where words are weaponised to cause division and outrage, it's another matter."

YouGov polling shows a small but clear rise in UK church attendance, driven especially by 18–24-year-olds whose monthly attendance has quadrupled in a decade. The increase is concentrated toward Catholicism rather than Protestantism. Many Scottish Protestant churches stand empty and are being sold cheaply, with Culross Abbey in Fife once offered for just £35,000. Sixteenth-century Reformers removed stained glass and church art, leaving bare interiors that may repel those seeking respite from modern noise. The Church of England has experimented with combining words and art, for example a Canterbury exhibition that used graffiti stickers related to St Thomas Becket and provoked a violent social media backlash.

Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events