Catholic Church In Danger?

Brazil is the largest Catholic nation in the world, sporting upwards to 125 million followers. But in recent years the population has begun to drop. In just the last 20 years the Catholic Church has lost 12% of its participants. This was due to the growing popularity of Pentecostal churches who now boast over 20 million members.

In an article posted by the BBC, Leonardo Boff, a leading voice for the Liberation Theology, said this about the Church's decline. "So many people leave and look for other churches, which have more populist language, and they are more welcoming and they allow for a sacred experience, an experience of God which is easier and more immediate." He later goes on to blame the rigid dogma and the Church's inability to integrate Latin America more with Rome.

The Pentecostal churches have promoted a self-improvement message that has grown on the younger generation. They have continued to develope despite recent flurries of controversy including some of the church founders caught smuggling money inside Bibles. The Pope has stated worries. This in the eyes that their rivals have gained more political clout and media power. Will the Roman Catholic Church continue to recede power to its rivals or regain its stability? Time will tell.