The Catholic Church is losing Latin America, a region that was once considered its stronghold.
The Catholic Church is losing Latin America, a region that was once considered its stronghold. The institution has been plagued by sex abuse scandals and is facing competition from Evangelical churches. There are still 1.2 billion Catholics in the world, but the religion’s dominance has slipped as secularism and Protestantism have risen.
What’s happening in Latin America?
In Brazil, which has the largest Catholic population in the world, only 67% of people identify as Catholic. That number has dropped from 90% in 1970 and 83% in 2010. In Mexico, Catholicism’s hold on the population has also slipped: Only 89% of Mexicans identify as Catholic today compared to 95% in 2000.
Why are people leaving Catholicism?
“Young people want to be different,” says Sebastian Guarino of Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. “They want to be modern.”
