Why the Catholic Church Is Losing Latin America

[dalton99a]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-the-catholic-church-is-losing-latin-america-11641914388

Why the Catholic Church Is Losing Latin America
Conservative Pentecostals make huge inroads despite region’s first pope; Brazil is poised to become minority Catholic as soon as this year
By Francis X. Rocca, Luciana Magalhaes, Samantha Pearson
Jan. 11, 2022 10:19 am ET

...

For centuries, to be Latin American was to be Catholic; the religion faced virtually no competition. Today, Catholicism has lost adherents to other faiths in the region, especially Pentecostalism, and more recently to the ranks of the unchurched. The shift has continued under the first Latin American pope.

Seven countries in the region — Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and five in Central America — had a majority of non-Catholics in 2018, according to a survey by Latinobarómetro, a Chilean-based pollster. In a symbolic milestone, Brazil, which has the most Catholics of any country in the world, is expected to become minority-Catholic as soon as this year, according to estimates by academics that track religious affiliation.

The declining influence of Catholicism in Latin America has far-reaching social and political consequences. In countries such as Brazil, conversions to Pentecostal Christianity have boosted socially conservative views from the favelas to the halls of Congress, helping to propel right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro to power in 2018.

Pentecostalism is a tradition originating in the U.S. which emphasizes direct contact with the Holy Spirit through highly physical forms of worship such as speaking in tongues and faith healing. It is part of the larger evangelical Protestant movement, which stresses biblical authority, the experience of being “born again” and the mission to win converts. Mainline Protestant churches such as Anglicans and Lutherans have made relatively few inroads in Latin America.

[heckles65]

2. ???? Doesn't say -why.-

As an atheist, I'd be curious how much of the "bite" against the Catholic Church is due to people becoming nonbelievers or apathetic.

[shrike3]

4. The RCC isn't churchy enough.

"Pentecostalism is a tradition originating in the U.S. which emphasizes direct contact with the Holy Spirit through highly physical forms of worship such as speaking in tongues and faith healing. It is part of the larger evangelical Protestant movement, which stresses biblical authority, the experience of being “born again” and the mission to win converts."

If they wanted to be secular, they'd be secular. Pentecostalism is church on overdrive.

[SharonAnn]

3. I have relatives in Honduras and Chile. Pentacostals have made huge inroads in the last 40 years.

Historically, the Catholic Church there has been tightly connected with the powerful and the wealthy.

[shrike3]

5. I have also had people tell me pentecostal practice is more exciting.

More of a show. Speaking in tongues and faith healing. Also the style of the big mega churches in the U.S. TV screens, bells and whistles. Entertainment.

[calimary]

6. Indeed! Kicking this!