France is now so secular that eight out of ten people say they have no religion.

Yet this Easter, 10,000 adults lined up to be baptized.

It's a 45% increase this year, and that follows a similarly steep rise last year.

The numbers far from outweigh the decline in infant baptisms, but still there's something going on,

especially when you listen to some of the stories these new Christians have to tell.

I didn't have faith at all at that time. I couldn't even put a foot in a church. I hated it.

I thought it was just a hypocrite story all of this, you know. But because I was really down, down,

that was my only option was to pray.

I grew up with Muslims, and I always admired them because of their prayers.

So it was natural for me because I was seeking something and because I believed in a god to study Islam a bit.

But no disrespect to anyone, it wasn't for me.

I'm John Noronson, and you're listening to the documentary on the BBC World Service.

On this week's Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to faith,

I've come to meet France's new Christians

and find out why so many people are embracing Christianity later in life.

Yeah. At a church in a town called Mantonel, not far from Paris,

there's a banging on the door shortly after the beginning of mass.

New Christians who want to come in.

Well, I say new Christians, they're not Christians yet. They're Kata Schumanns, the church calls them, people under instruction in the rudiments of Christianity.

This ritual entrance marks the beginning of the path that should lead to their baptism next Easter.

After Mass, I get talking to one of them, Christelle Stevenson, and her husband,

Benjamin. It's been several years already that I've been thinking about being baptized,

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