Pope Leo XIV begins a three-country South America tour Friday as Pew Research Center data show smaller shares of adults identify as Catholic in six Latin American countries than a decade ago.
Pew surveyed 6,234 adults in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru from Jan. 22 to April 27, 2024. In each country, the Catholic share was at least nine percentage points below its 2013-14 level. The same poll found that 89% to 98% of adults believed in God.
Two countries on Leo’s itinerary were in Pew’s survey: 58% of adults in Argentina and 67% in Peru identified as Catholic. Pew’s 2024 survey did not include Uruguay, the first stop on his trip. There, a separate face-to-face survey by Equipos Consultores found that 36% of adults identified as Catholic.
Equipos Consultores interviewed 710 adults from Aug. 11 to 31, 2026, and reported a maximum sampling margin of error of ±3.7 percentage points at 95% confidence. The firm said Uruguay’s long-term decline in Catholic identification may have stabilized in recent years.
In each of Pew’s six surveyed countries, religious switching produced a net loss for Catholic identification and net gains for Protestant and religiously unaffiliated groups. The 2024 survey provides no explanation for why individuals changed their affiliation.
The Vatican’s itinerary takes Leo from Uruguay to Argentina and then Peru, where he previously served as a missionary and bishop of Chiclayo. The trip runs from Nov. 6 to 17. The Holy See Press Office said Oct. 26 that it would proceed after medical assessments found no reason to delay travel following Leo’s Oct. 13 lung surgery. EconoTimes previously covered the tour schedule and Leo’s medical clearance.
Scheduled events on Saturday, Nov. 7, include a Mass in Paysandú and a visit to Montevideo’s Casavalle community.
