The Catholic Church is losing its dominant status in Latin America, the Wall Street Journal reports, with Pentecostal sects gaining traction among the people.
The Catholic proportion of Latin America’s population, which was nearly 80% in 1995, has slipped under 60%, and continues to fall. Brazil, once home to the world’s largest Catholic population, will cease to have a Catholic majority sometime this year.
The downward trend has accelerated, ironically, since the election of the first Latin American to serve as Pope.