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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Chile
Index
A church in Rancagua, central Chile
Courtesy Embassy of Chile, Washington
Roman Catholicism is an integral part of Chile's
history and
culture, and the great majority of Chileans consider
themselves
Roman Catholic. However, their numbers have been declining
since
1970, while the Protestant population has been increasing.
The 1970
census showed that about 90 percent of the population was
nominally
Roman Catholic, and a little over 6 percent was
Protestant. The
1982 census did not include questions on religion. The
1992 census
showed that 76.9 percent of the population fourteen years
of age
and older declared itself Catholic, while 13.1 percent
declared
itself either
"Evangelical" (see
Glossary) or "Protestant"
(see
table 16, Appendix). This latter percentage reflected a
moderate
but steady increase with each census since 1920, when only
1.4
percent of the population was counted as Protestant. About
90
percent of Protestants belong to Pentecostal (Evangelical)
denominations.
The more than doubling of the proportion of Protestants
in the
total population over the 1970-92 period means that a
large number
of them are converts. Surveys taken in December 1990 and
October
1991 by the Center for Public Studies (Centro de Estudios
Públicos-
-CEP) in collaboration with Adimark, a polling agency,
showed that
about 95 percent of Roman Catholic respondents have been
Catholics
since childhood, whereas only about 38 percent of
Protestants said
they have been Protestants since their early years.
Moreover, fully
26 percent of Protestants noted that they had converted
sometime in
the previous ten years.
According to the 1992 census, there was also a
significant
minority of about 7 percent of Chileans who declared
themselves
indifferent to religion or atheists. This group increased
from a
little over 3 percent in 1970. Other religious groups,
mainly
Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Orthodox accounted for 4.2
percent of
the population fourteen years of age or older.
The CEP-Adimark surveys also included questions on
religious
practice. According to the surveys, about a quarter of all
adult
Chileans attend church services at least once a week, a
proportion
indicative of considerable secularization. A much greater
proportion of Protestants (about 46 percent) than of those
who said
they are Roman Catholics (about 18 percent) are regular
churchgoers. Thus, the authors of the CEP-Adimark report
note that
there is roughly one Protestant for every two Catholics
among
people attending church at least once a week in Chile. The
proportion of nominal Catholics attending mass weekly
seems to have
increased slightly since the late 1970s; prior studies had
shown an
attendance rate between 10 and 15 percent.
The distribution of practicing Catholics and
Protestants varies
dramatically on the basis of socioeconomic status. In
1990-91 about
half the practicing Protestant population (52.1 percent)
was
composed of individuals from poorer groups, while a tiny
minority
(2.3 percent) had high socioeconomic status. Among
practicing
Catholics, the proportion with high status was significant
at 15
percent, whereas the poorest segment constituted about a
fifth
(21.8 percent) of all those who practiced. These
differences are so
salient that among the poor Chilean urban population, for
every
practicing Roman Catholic there is a practicing
Protestant. The
growth of Protestantism has therefore mainly been at the
expense of
the Catholicity of the lower socioeconomic groups, among
whom
Catholicism has long been weakest. Surveys taken between
the late
1950s and early 1970s showed that only between 4 and 8
percent of
working-class people who were nominally Catholic attended
mass
weekly. The 1991 survey showed that 93.4 percent of
high-income
respondents indicated that they are nominally Catholic;
the
proportions declined to 75.2 percent of middle-income
people and to
69 percent of those with lower incomes. Among the latter,
22
percent consider themselves nominally Protestant. The
practicing
Protestants also tend to work in greater proportions in
the
personal service areas of the economy and to be less
educated than
Catholics. This is consistent with the generally lower
economic
status of the Protestant population.
Slightly more than half of all Chileans who declared a
religious affiliation are women. However, among those who
practice,
the proportion of women is significantly higher. This is
particularly the case for Protestants. Among urban
Protestant
respondents, about 70 percent of those who attend church
services
at least once a week are women. Among Roman Catholics, the
proportion of practicing women is about 63 percent.
The Roman Catholic Church is divided into twenty-four
dioceses
and one armed forces chaplaincy. These are led by five
archbishops
and thirty bishops, some of whom serve as auxiliaries in
the larger
dioceses. There are also two retired cardinals. The church
has long
suffered from a shortage of priests. Since the 1960s, they
have
numbered between 2,300 and 2,500, about half of them
foreign born.
By 1990 there were 3,000 Catholics per priest. With about
760
parishes throughout the country, the church is unable to
extend its
presence to the entire Catholic population. This situation
is
illustrated by a comparison of the number of places of
worship for
Santiago's Catholic and Protestant populations: 470 Roman
Catholic
parishes and chapels versus about 1,150 churches and other
places
of Protestant (mainly Pentecostal) worship.
Data as of March 1994
Religious Affiliations and Church Organization
A church in Rancagua, central Chile
Courtesy Embassy of Chile, Washington
Roman Catholicism is an integral part of Chile's
history and
culture, and the great majority of Chileans consider
themselves
Roman Catholic. However, their numbers have been declining
since
1970, while the Protestant population has been increasing.
The 1970
census showed that about 90 percent of the population was
nominally
Roman Catholic, and a little over 6 percent was
Protestant. The
1982 census did not include questions on religion. The
1992 census
showed that 76.9 percent of the population fourteen years
of age
and older declared itself Catholic, while 13.1 percent
declared
itself either
"Evangelical" (see
Glossary) or "Protestant"
(see
table 16, Appendix). This latter percentage reflected a
moderate
but steady increase with each census since 1920, when only
1.4
percent of the population was counted as Protestant. About
90
percent of Protestants belong to Pentecostal (Evangelical)
denominations.
The more than doubling of the proportion of Protestants
in the
total population over the 1970-92 period means that a
large number
of them are converts. Surveys taken in December 1990 and
October
1991 by the Center for Public Studies (Centro de Estudios
Públicos-
-CEP) in collaboration with Adimark, a polling agency,
showed that
about 95 percent of Roman Catholic respondents have been
Catholics
since childhood, whereas only about 38 percent of
Protestants said
they have been Protestants since their early years.
Moreover, fully
26 percent of Protestants noted that they had converted
sometime in
the previous ten years.
According to the 1992 census, there was also a
significant
minority of about 7 percent of Chileans who declared
themselves
indifferent to religion or atheists. This group increased
from a
little over 3 percent in 1970. Other religious groups,
mainly
Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Orthodox accounted for 4.2
percent of
the population fourteen years of age or older.
The CEP-Adimark surveys also included questions on
religious
practice. According to the surveys, about a quarter of all
adult
Chileans attend church services at least once a week, a
proportion
indicative of considerable secularization. A much greater
proportion of Protestants (about 46 percent) than of those
who said
they are Roman Catholics (about 18 percent) are regular
churchgoers. Thus, the authors of the CEP-Adimark report
note that
there is roughly one Protestant for every two Catholics
among
people attending church at least once a week in Chile. The
proportion of nominal Catholics attending mass weekly
seems to have
increased slightly since the late 1970s; prior studies had
shown an
attendance rate between 10 and 15 percent.
The distribution of practicing Catholics and
Protestants varies
dramatically on the basis of socioeconomic status. In
1990-91 about
half the practicing Protestant population (52.1 percent)
was
composed of individuals from poorer groups, while a tiny
minority
(2.3 percent) had high socioeconomic status. Among
practicing
Catholics, the proportion with high status was significant
at 15
percent, whereas the poorest segment constituted about a
fifth
(21.8 percent) of all those who practiced. These
differences are so
salient that among the poor Chilean urban population, for
every
practicing Roman Catholic there is a practicing
Protestant. The
growth of Protestantism has therefore mainly been at the
expense of
the Catholicity of the lower socioeconomic groups, among
whom
Catholicism has long been weakest. Surveys taken between
the late
1950s and early 1970s showed that only between 4 and 8
percent of
working-class people who were nominally Catholic attended
mass
weekly. The 1991 survey showed that 93.4 percent of
high-income
respondents indicated that they are nominally Catholic;
the
proportions declined to 75.2 percent of middle-income
people and to
69 percent of those with lower incomes. Among the latter,
22
percent consider themselves nominally Protestant. The
practicing
Protestants also tend to work in greater proportions in
the
personal service areas of the economy and to be less
educated than
Catholics. This is consistent with the generally lower
economic
status of the Protestant population.
Slightly more than half of all Chileans who declared a
religious affiliation are women. However, among those who
practice,
the proportion of women is significantly higher. This is
particularly the case for Protestants. Among urban
Protestant
respondents, about 70 percent of those who attend church
services
at least once a week are women. Among Roman Catholics, the
proportion of practicing women is about 63 percent.
The Roman Catholic Church is divided into twenty-four
dioceses
and one armed forces chaplaincy. These are led by five
archbishops
and thirty bishops, some of whom serve as auxiliaries in
the larger
dioceses. There are also two retired cardinals. The church
has long
suffered from a shortage of priests. Since the 1960s, they
have
numbered between 2,300 and 2,500, about half of them
foreign born.
By 1990 there were 3,000 Catholics per priest. With about
760
parishes throughout the country, the church is unable to
extend its
presence to the entire Catholic population. This situation
is
illustrated by a comparison of the number of places of
worship for
Santiago's Catholic and Protestant populations: 470 Roman
Catholic
parishes and chapels versus about 1,150 churches and other
places
of Protestant (mainly Pentecostal) worship.
Data as of March 1994
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