in Brazil is the second largest in the world, after only of the
Basilica of Saint Peter in
Vatican City. According to a
Pew Research Center projection in 2010, they predicted that 83.4% of the South American population will be
Christian in 2020.
Catholicism In many South American countries Catholicism is the most professed Christian denomination. In
Paraguay,
Peru,
Colombia and
Argentina more than three-quarters of the population is Catholic.
Catholicism was the only religion allowed in the
colonial era; the indigenous were forced to abandon their beliefs, although many did not abandon it at all, for example, countries with predominantly
Amerindian population such as
Bolivia and
Peru there is a syncretism between
indigenous religions and the Catholic religion, that has occurred since colonial times. In
Brazil or
Colombia, Catholicism was mixed with certain
African rituals.
Protestantism in Chile
Protestantism has had a presence since the nineteenth century, as a minority, but witnessed a strong increase since the 1980s. The majority of Latin American Protestants in general are
Pentecostal. 89% of Brazilian evangelicals are Pentecostal, in
Chile they represent 79% of the total evangelicals in that country, 69% in
Argentina and 59% in
Colombia. On the other part, in
Uruguay 66% of evangelicals are
Methodist, while only 20% are Pentecostal. Approximately 160 million Latin Americans are Evangelical. Forty million South Americans are Christians independent from denominations.
Spiritism Brazil is the country with more practitioners in the world of
Allan Kardec's codification of the
Spiritism, followed by over 12 million people, with 30 to 45 million sympathizers. Most followers of the
Spiritism are people that were mostly Catholic, Protestants and Atheists respectively.
Chico Xavier wrote over 490 books, which complements the
spiritualist doctrine.
Eastern Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodox Christianity was brought to South America by groups of immigrants from several different regions, mainly
Eastern Europe and the
Middle East. This traditional branch of Eastern Christianity has also spread beyond the boundaries of immigrant communities. There are several Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical jurisdictions in South America, organized within the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Latin America.
Oriental Orthodoxy Several groups of Christian immigrants, mainly from the
Middle East,
Caucasus,
Africa and
India, brought
Oriental Orthodoxy to the South America. This ancient branch of Eastern Christianity includes several ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the South America, like
Coptic Orthodox Church in South America and
Syriac Orthodox Church.
Other Christians Practitioners of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and
Jehovah's Witnesses religions also are present in South America. == Hinduism ==