Hispanics in America: not automatically Papists

UNITED STATES: "Latinos and religion: Separated brothers; Latinos are changing the nature of American religion," The Economist, 18 July 2009.

Hispanics (68% Catholic) going evangelical Christian in large numbers (15%). A religion prof says about 4m Latino Catholics have converted, and most stick with it, meaning "for every one who comes back to the Catholic church, four leave it."

Gaston Espinosa's argument: Latino leadership among the Evangelicals beats the old-timey Irish and Polish Catholic priests in terms of personal connection, plus Latinos are more used to livelier masses.

But with 1/3 of Catholics in America, expect the RC church here to adapt.

Comments

[hof1991]

expect the RC church here to adapt.

So far they are adapting by bringing in African priests, using old timey translations of Latin and telling all Dems that they aren't "real" Catholics. They will bleed Hispanics, but they are losing members of all kinds without taking it seriously. Lots more former Catholics, Hispanic and not.

[Tony Kaiser]

hof1991 said "telling all Dems that they aren't 'real' Catholics." Sorry, Sir, but that's rubbish. In my neck of the woods, most of the Catholics ARE Dems (just over 50% I would guess--Indiana's Bloody 8th Cong District), but they're also mostly conservative and very pro-life. What's your point?

I'm not hearing Catholics leaving in droves due to more literal translations of the Roman Missal. People have left the church either because of scandals or because the church did a poor job of catechesis since the 60s. Take it from a mid-30s midwestern cradle-Catholic who has learned more about the Catholic faith in the last 10 years than the first 25, and I was brought up in a fairly traditional rural parish. My story is far from unique. My experience has been, aside from the scandals rocking the church, most who leave the Catholic Church are not well educated in their faith.