Latin America With nearly 400 million believers, Latin America is the continent with the highest number of Catholics in the world. But the Church is facing growing challenges. These include extreme poverty in rural areas, migration flows to urban centres and authoritarian regimes that oppress the Church and hinder its work. An increasingly aggressive secularism and the massive spread of sects are also worrying developments. With a total volume of 16 Million euros, ACN was once again able to provide urgently needed aid for the local Churches here in 2024.
The situation is especially dire for the Church in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, where state interference poses significant challenges. In Mexico, Haiti, Ecuador, Colombia and
cannot be present due to a shortage of priests, aggressive evangelical groups and sects are rapidly expanding. Therefore, promoting the training of priests, religious and catechists and strengthening the vocational ministry are among our most important tasks in Latin America. ACN also supports Catholic television and radio stations
» Despite numerous challenges, Latin America is still considered the most Catholic continent. «
Communion in the Colombian jungle.
Brazil, on the other hand, criminal gangs and drug cartels are terrorising the population. The Church also faces a Herculean task due to the high level of migration. The influx of migrants and the exodus of the rural population to urban centres are leading to rapid growth in the cities. The increasing number of faithful in metropolitan areas has significantly heightened the demand for pastoral care. Another challenge in some countries is the vast size of dioceses, which complicates evangelisation efforts. And in areas where the Church
on the continent, as well as the distribution of religious books. The aim is to reach as many people as possible, in order to counteract the anti-Church tendencies found in society to the greatest extent possible.
ACN Activity Report 2024 | 37 Latin America |
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