U.S. Hispanics Are Becoming Less Catholic

Less Hispanics Becoming Catholics
In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Friday, March 1, 2013, then Pope Benedict XVI, delivers his last blessing from the window of the pontiff's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, after arriving from the Vatican, the last day of his pontificate, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Benedict XVI left the Catholic Church in unprecedented limbo Thursday as he became the first pope in 600 years to resign, capping a tearful day of farewells that included an extraordinary pledge of obedience to his successor. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)
In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Friday, March 1, 2013, then Pope Benedict XVI, delivers his last blessing from the window of the pontiff's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, after arriving from the Vatican, the last day of his pontificate, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Benedict XVI left the Catholic Church in unprecedented limbo Thursday as he became the first pope in 600 years to resign, capping a tearful day of farewells that included an extraordinary pledge of obedience to his successor. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)

Catholicism has a famed strong grip on Hispanic communities—and it is loosening. A Gallup poll released earlier this week found that the number of Hispanics who identify as Catholic in the US dropped from 58% to 54% between 2008 and 2012. Over the same four-year period, Hispanics who identify as Protestant rose slightly, from 27% to 28%.

This demographic shift reflects a trend happening in Latin America. According to the polling service Latinobarómetro, the number of Catholic Hispanics in Latin America dropped 11% from 1996 to 2010, while the number of evangelicals, often a synonym for Protestants in Latin America, rose 9%.

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