Esclusiva

Gennaio 31 2025
At the doorstep of a new “Patria Grande”

The 2025 Jubilee is an opportunity for the Catholic Church to engage Latin American believers

On March 13, 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would come to be known as Pope Francis, stepped out onto the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and, in his first address, remarked that the cardinals had come to find him “almost at the end of the world.” As the first Latin American Pope, he brought with him a direct style, close to the people, addressing themes such as hope and reconciliation, particularly in contexts marked by conflict and injustice. Hope, in fact, is the guiding thread of the Jubilee: the Pope invites the faithful to rediscover it, to rebuild bridges of dialogue, and to renew their faith.

The declining state of Catholicism in Latin America

Catholicism in Latin America, despite Pope Francis, finds itself in a complicated position. In the 1990s, around 80% of the Latin American population identified as Catholic. Today, that percentage has dropped to between 52% and 58%. Evangelicals, on the other hand, are on the rise: in 2002, they represented 10% of the population, but now they account for one-fifth. According to The Economist, if this growth continues unchecked, evangelicals could outnumber Catholics in countries like Guatemala and Honduras by 2030. The evangelical churches are gaining ground with messages of hope, prosperity, and strong social engagement. On the other hand, Catholic Church is losing followers, and isoften perceived as distant and overly bureaucratic.

The 2025 Jubilee could represent a turning point for the Church in Latin America. It could b the first step in countering the decline of Catholicism in an increasingly religiously pluralistic context. Various dioceses in Latin America are launching local initiatives to celebrate the Jubilee, with Marian shrines such as the Basilica of Aparecida in Brazil designated as Jubilee churches. The goal is to foster active participation among the faithful, thereby responding to the desire for engagement that characterizes the spirituality of Latin American believers.

What should the Church do

“Evangelization campaigns should be strengthened, aid to the neediest increased, and the equitable development of peoples promoted. These things are being done, but they need to be done in a more direct and simple way,” says Margarita Tomasetti, a Venezuelan.

Pope Francis advocates for a Church closer to the marginalized, a “Patria Grande” that can serve as the starting point for interreligious dialogue and cooperation. To ensure that Pope Francis’s pontificate is not just a parenthesis but becomes a catalyst for lasting change, capable of countering the loss of Catholic faithful in Latin America, it will be essential for the Church to commit to reforms that progressively tear down the perceived wall between the institution and its believers.