BRAZILIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH SUFFERING MASSIVE LOSS OF CATHOLICS

Brazil soon will no longer hold the position as the country with the largest number of Catholics in the world. 

For years the number of people who have declared themselves Roman Catholic are in grave decline, and the last survey by Datafolha Institute indicates a loss of about 9 million faithful since 2014.  The institute surveyed voting-eligible Brazilians, randomly selected as a representative sample of the population. The margin of error is two percentage points (the level of confidence 95%). 

Two years ago, 60 percent of Brazilians over the age of 16 declared themselves Catholics. According to the latest survey published on December 25, the percentage is now only 50 percent — a loss of 9 million. 

During the same period, the percentage of those who claim not to belong to any religion has more than doubled, from 6 percent in 2014 to 14 percent now.
  
The same survey reports that the growth of Evangelical Protestantism in Brazil is directly linked to the reduced numbers in the Catholic Church.  In related survey profiling Evangelicals in Brazil, also published in December, Datafolha discovered that 44 percent of those who claim to be Evangelicals come from the Catholic Church. 

In August 1994, when the Institute made the first survey to delineate the religious make-up of the country, 75 percent of the population able to vote was made of Catholics. Ten percent were Evangelical Protestants of the Pentecostal kind, and 4 percent were Protestants from more traditional and historical denominations (Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, etc).

In 2000, the official census figures showed that Pentecostal denominations made up more than two thirds of the total number of Protestants in Brazil. During the 1980s, traditional Protestant denominations either stagnated or even suffered a decline, while Pentecostal churches grew nearly three times faster than the population. 

In 2012, when the data for the official 2010 census was released, statistics revealed the astounding growth of  Pentecostal Evangelicals (61.45% in 10 years). 

The predictions from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the agency responsible for the censuses, is that by 2040 the number of Protestants will exceed the number of Catholics in the country.

It likewise appears that Evangelical Protestants have formed a powerful political coalition, referred to as "The Evangelical Front." In 2015, they numbered 78 in Brazil's National Congress: 75 in the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) and 3 in the Federal Senate (the upper house). 

Datafolha Institute interviewed  Msgr. Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, auxiliary bishop of Brazil and general secretary of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB). When asked what could possibly explain the decline of Catholics in the most Catholic country on the planet, Bishop Steiner said that he respected the survey and its method, but the CNBB continues to see Catholic communities in Brazil growing and thriving and claimed that Pope Francis' leadership is beneficial to the Church. 

The Bishop respects the survey and its method, but disregards it findings?  

Are Bishop Steiner and the other members of the CNBB simply burying their heads in the sand and willfully refusing to admit the facts and address the serious reasons underlying such a drastic reduction in the number of Catholic faithful?

If Pentecostal Evangelicals are growing in number by attracting disaffected Catholics, the Bishops of Brazil need to ask themselves what is it about Pentecostalism that is appealing to those who have abandoned the Church.

While there are sure to be a host of explanations, I would hazard to suggest two primary reasons.

First, the primary role which the Scriptures play in the Pentecostal church.  Bible study, the reading and sharing of the Living Word of God appeals to the very soul of the believer.  To the extent that the Catholic Church continues to ignore the powerful influence which a study of the Scriptures can have upon the Catholic faithful, the Church will continue to lose membership.  

Second, the Pentecostal church has a very active apostolate whereby members of congregations minister to each other and to the communities wherein they can be found.  This social and very outward expression of apostolic service binds members together in a closely knit community which gives the congregation a distinct identity.  This sense of belonging or being accepted and supported by others who share mutual respect and faith commitments is a powerful force in attracting nominal or disenchanted members of the Catholic Church.

The CNBB would do well to take the disturbing findings of these surveys to heart and be motivated to inspire that same love of God’s Word and the building up of a sense of identity and community within the dioceses they serve.

The same wisdom would apply to Bishops and dioceses in other parts of the world as well.