The Shifting Religious Identity of Latinos in the United States
Nearly One-in-Four Latinos Are Former Catholics
Most Hispanics in the United States continue to belong to the Roman Catholic Church. But the Catholic share of the Hispanic population is declining, while rising numbers of Hispanics are Protestant or unaffiliated with any religion. Indeed, nearly one-in-four Hispanic adults (24%) are now former Catholics, according to a major, nationwide survey of more than 5,000 Hispanics by the Pew Research Center. Together, these trends suggest that some religious polarization is taking place in the Hispanic community, with the shrinking majority of Hispanic Catholics holding the middle ground between two growing groups (evangelical Protestants and the unaffiliated) that are at opposite ends of the U.S. religious spectrum.
The Pew Research Center's 2013 National Survey of Latinos and Religion finds that a majority (55%) of the nation's estimated 35.4 million Latino adults - or about 19.6 million Latinos - identify as Catholic today.1 About 22% are Protestant (including 16% who describe themselves as born-again or evangelical) and 18% are religiously unaffiliated.
The share of Hispanics who are Catholic likely has been in decline for at least the last few decades.2 But as recently as 2010, Pew Research polling found that fully two-thirds of Hispanics (67%) were Catholic. That means the Catholic share has dropped by 12 percentage points in just the last four years, using Pew Research's standard survey question about religious affiliation.3
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Church leaders meet and agree to advance peace on Korean Peninsula
In a first meeting since 2009 and since the 2013 appointment of a new leader for the Korea Christian Federation (KCF) of North Korea, an international group of church leaders from 34 countries, including North and South Korea, met near Geneva, Switzerland, to seek ways to advance reconciliation and peace on the peninsula.
WCC/ALC
Geneva, Wednesday, June 25, 2014
The group agreed in a communiqu� released at the end of their meeting on Thursday to seek new initiatives to advance peace, such as increasing visits between churches in North and South Korea, inviting younger people around the world to become involved in working for peace on the peninsula and calling for an annual day of prayer for peace on the peninsula.
The group also recommends promoting annual ecumenical meetings and consultations involving Christians from both countries in conjunction with the day of prayer.
The meeting was sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and included leaders from the KCF and the National Council of Churches of Korea (NCCK) in South Korea. It was held at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute.
The meeting was a continuation of discussions held between the churches from North and South Korea that began in 1984, called the Tozanso Consultation, and a follow up to a statement from the WCC 10th Assembly held in Busan, South Korea, 30 October - 8 November, 2013, calling for a new era of ecumenical engagement in the search for peace and reconciliation on the Korea peninsula.
"The tragedy of division of the Korean Peninsula requires a human and spiritual fellowship and reorientation," Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said. "This Bossey Consultation has shown that the fellowship of churches (WCC) can provide this."
"We are ready to follow up the mandate from the 10th Assembly to work together for peace and for reconciliation," he said.
The event, called the International Consultation on Justice, Peace and Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, 17-19 June, was convened on the 30th anniversary of the Tozanso Consultation and included worship services, presentations and discussions on a variety of issues related to the division of the two countries and separation of churches, and a joint eucharistic worship service.
"I believe this gathering of brothers and sisters of churches of various countries is a manifestation of the strong desire and will to pool efforts and actively contribute to the cause of peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula," said Rev. Kang Myong Chol, chairperson of the KCF in his remarks to the group.
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