The Catholic Church in Ireland will introduce an updated Confirmation pledge from next year that includes a commitment for children not to vape until they turn 18, expanding the traditional alcohol abstinence promise.
The new pledge will see 12-year-old children making their Confirmation commit to abstaining from alcohol, smoking, and vaping until they reach 18 years of age. This builds on the longstanding Irish tradition where Confirmation candidates pledge not to drink alcohol until they are legally permitted to do so.
Church leaders say the expanded pledge aims to encourage healthier lifestyle choices during young people’s formative years, recognizing the growing concern around youth vaping rates in Ireland.
The Irish Bishops’ Drugs and Alcohol Initiative, working in partnership with the Catholic Primary School Management Association, will make a new online educational module available to all schools whose students wish to take the updated pledge.
The initiative is being launched to honor Matt Talbot, known as the Apostle of Hope, whose centenary death was recently marked by the Archdiocese of Dublin. Talbot, a Dublin native who overcame alcohol addiction, has been described by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference as “a figure of deep faith and personal transformation, whose legacy of prayer, penance, and devotion to the sacraments offers real hope for those struggling with addiction today.”
The church stated that the decision to include vaping in the Confirmation pledge serves both to honor Talbot’s legacy and to support young people’s physical and mental health during a critical developmental period.
The updated pledge reflects growing awareness of vaping’s popularity among Irish teenagers and concerns about nicotine addiction among young people. Health experts have increasingly warned about the risks of e-cigarette use among adolescents, particularly regarding nicotine dependence and potential long-term health effects.
The online module will be rolled out to participating schools from 2026, giving educators and religious instruction coordinators time to prepare for the implementation of the expanded pledge program.