Catholic Church in Bolivia

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Catholic Church in Bolivia
Catedral Metropolitana de La Paz.JPG
La Paz Metropolitan Cathedral
TypeNational polity
Classification Catholic
Orientation Latin
Scripture Bible
Theology Catholic theology
Governance CEB
Pope Francis
President Aurelio Pesoa Ribera
Apostolic Nuncio Fermín Emilio Sosa Rodríguez
Region Bolivia
Language
Headquarters La Paz
Origin16th century

Religion in Bolivia (2018) [1]

   Roman Catholic (70.0%)
   Protestant (17.2%)
  Mormon/Jehovah's Witness (1.7%)
  None (9.3%)
  Other religion (1.2%)
  No answer (0.6%)

The Catholic Church in Bolivia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Catholicism was introduced in the 1530s and the first diocese was established in 1552. Evangelization among the Indians bore much fruit from the mid-18th to early 19th century, resuming again in 1840. The country declared independence from Spain in 1825.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Today, Bolivia is a predominantly Catholic country. However, the Church was disestablished as the state religion in early 2009 [2] and lost remaining privileges in 2019 with the promulgation of the law on religious freedom. According to a 2018 survey, 70% of Bolivians were Catholics. [1]

Organization

There are seventeen territorial jurisdictions in the country—four archdioceses, six dioceses, and five apostolic vicariates and two Territorial Prelatures:[ citation needed ]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Religion affiliation in Bolivia as of 2018. Based on Latinobarómetro. Survey period: June 15 to August 2, 2018, 1,200 respondents.
  2. Temperman, Jeroen (2010). State-Religion Relationships and Human Rights Law: Towards a Right to Religiously Neutral Governance. BRILL. p. 35. ISBN   978-9004181489 . Retrieved 12 July 2014.