More and more young people declare themselves believers and the X of the Church breaks income records

“The era when bishops interfered in politics ended with the arrival of democracy,” Sánchez responded during a campaign rally for the elections in Extremadura.

The harshness of the reproach contrasts with the current context: the Catholic Church is starting to regain ground in Spain, particularly among young people, and the X in the tax declaration is reaching unprecedented figures.

Socialist sources tell this newspaper that Sánchez’s response was “in line with the statements” of Argüello and avoid entering into the controversy.

They do this after the Popular Party, with the opposition leader at its head, showed the Catholic spirit of the PP as a counterpoint to the PSOE.

“I’m not going to say ‘Happy Holidays’, but ‘Merry Christmas'” or “You don’t have to apologize for being Catholic” are some of the phrases that Feijóo uttered during the traditional dinner that the PP of Madrid organizes on these dates.

Official data leaves no doubt: after decades of decline, the number of young people who identify as Catholic in Spain is starting to rebound.

According to the latest CIS barometer, the proportion of believers between 18 and 24 years old increased from 33.9% in 2021 to 38.5% in 2025, an increase which breaks the downward trend observed since the 1980s.

Among those aged 25 to 34, growth is similar, going from 35% to 37.9%. A phenomenon which, although minority compared to general secularization, testifies to a growing interest in spirituality among younger generations.

This revitalization is also reflected in the economic dimension.

In the last income tax campaign, the Spanish Catholic Church collected 429.3 million euros, 12% more than the previous year, thanks to the fact that almost 8 million taxpayers checked the box intended for the institution.

These figures represent a historic record and demonstrate social support that goes beyond political speeches.

The pop phenomenon linked to religion also has its reflection in society. The singer Rosalía, with her latest album in which she uses religious iconography, has sparked debate and curiosity among young people about the links between faith, identity and contemporary art.

In contrast, recent films that explore religious or spiritual themes, such as Sundays —with great success in cinemas—show that interest in these stories does not disappear and is finding new audiences, particularly among young people.

In this context, the Hakuna Group Music group has become a clear example of this Catholic growth. His last concert in Rivas brought together 25,000 people and sold all the tickets for its next performance at the Palacio de Vista Alegre.

Aware of this phenomenon, and after increasing its pressure in favor of the value of Catholic culture, the Community of Madrid of Isabel Díaz Ayuso has organized a free Hakuna concert for this Monday, December 22 at 6:00 p.m.

This is not an unimportant detail. Last year he came balcony of Puerta del Sol singer David Bisbal. The event that collapsed the center of the capital and this year the same influx is expected.

The concert from the balcony of the Government of the Community of Madrid underlines the commitment of the PP of Ayuso in this cultural and religious renaissance of the region.

He does this in a context where faith returns to public debate and where Sánchez relaunches secularism as if there were only two fronts: with the Church or against it.

Of course, some socialists do not agree with this option. “In my house, I put the nativity scene every year,” declared this Thursday the socialist deputy of the Madrid Assembly Santi Rivero.