Catholic Numbers are Falling Off the Cliff in Central/South America


In just 10 years, 2010 to 2020, the percentage of self-identified Catholics south of the U.S. dropped in a way I call dramatic. While no religion and Protestant Pentecostalism have been growing for some decades the rate is accelerating.

This kind of change is happening in countries where the Catholic hierarchy has been very influential in pushing governments around. Ireland is another example. Traveling in Mexico as a young man I was always taken aback by villages that were extremely poor surrounding a magnificent Catholic Church. "Why do people put up with that?" I wondered back then. Now they are not.

While there are many explanations for the South/Central American decline, the Pope says one problem persists, sexual abuse by priests. Only a few years ago reforms in the Catholic Church were announced that were to solve the problem. Done, it was said. Court statistics as reported in newspapers show abuse continues. These appear every other month in a publication from Freedom From Religion Foundation. 

The huge churches in poor villages and sexual abuse have the same source, power. Surely all would agree human nature is such that if you give loads of power to several thousand individuals several of them will abuse it. Catholic theology is all about power, power to the clergy. Theft, sexual abuse and flagrant expenditures of other people's money reflects the power flaw in Catholic thinking. As the decades have gone by increasing percentages of the Catholic public has come to realize those in power will not voluntarily give it up. The only available revenge is to leave. 

Leave is what the public has done in Great Britain. According to a Christian group who ran a recent poll, only 5% of the public self identifies as a "practicing Christian." While 42% say the believe certain things about the faith this does not offset the money and political influence of the tiny number giving and going to churches. Catholics are only a portion of the 5%. 

This is a good time for remaining Catholics to take stock of their faith. What seems to be reality, clergy that care about you, is not reality. The male clergy know nothing more than those in the pews. Male clergy were given no special status by any imaginary deity. Reality is the clergy are simply a group who live off of the donations and sacrifices of volunteer time by ordinary people. 

Instead of having authority and power, clergy, and those in the pews, should consider clergy just another group like truck drivers and janitors making a living like everyone else.

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