Religion in Argentina
Encyclopedia
A majority of the population of Argentina
is nominally Roman Catholic, however, a very significant fact is that 61.1% of Argentines said to be related to God "on their own way", 72.9% said to "never" or "rarely" attend ceremonies of worship.
Pentecostal churches and traditional Protestant denominations are present in most communities. Argentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America, about 300,000. Muslim Argentines
number about 400,000–500,000, or approximately 1% of the population (as of 2010).
A recent study found that approximately 11% of Argentines are non-religious, including those who believe in God, though not religion, agnostics (4%) and atheists (5%). Overall, 24% attended religious services regularly.
Estimates for the number of Roman Catholics vary from 70% of the population, to as much as 90%. According to Annuario Pontificio
, based on parish statistics, between 64 and 74% of the population is Catholic. The CIA Factbook lists 92% of the country is Catholic, but only 20% are practicing regularly or weekly at a church service.
Catholic practices in Argentina (especially in the non-central areas) might be seen as incorporating a great deal of syncretism
; for example, religious festivals in the north-western provinces feature Catholic icons in (or along with) ancient Andean indigenous ceremonies. The Pachamama
worship is still widespread throughout Salta and Jujuy along with Catholic beliefs, without opposition from the Catholic Bishops.
In this regard, the missiologist, Jonas Adelin Jorgensen, notes that "Christian witness on cultural-religious frontiers raises fresh questions about bewilderingly complex and constantly evolving issues of contexualization and syncretism" in, for example, predminantly Hindu and Muslim societies, "where the word 'Christian' has long been associated with the worst that Western Christianity has to offer."
The church in Argentina is divided into administrative territorial units called diocese
s and archdioceses. Buenos Aires, for example, is an archdiocese owing to is size and historical significance as the capitol of the nation. The archdiocese of Buenos Aires
is headed by Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the current metropolitan archbishop. Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral
, the seat of the archbishop, also houses the remains of General José de San Martín
in a mausoleum.
There are seven Catholic universities in Argentina: Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina
(Buenos Aires), the Universidad Católica de Córdoba
, the Universidad de La Plata, the Universidad de Salta, the Universidad de Santa Fe, the Universidad de Cuyo, and the Universidad de Santiago del Estero. Religious orders run and sponsor hundreds of primary and secondary schools throughout the country, with government funding.
churches have been gaining a foothold since the 1980s, and count approximately 9% of the total population amongst their followers. Pentecostal churches and traditional Protestant denominations are present in most communities. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, claiming over 330,000 (the seventh-largest congregation in the world), are also present. A recent study found that Protestants were the only group in which a majority regularly attended services.
The first Waldensian settlers from Italy arrived in South America in 1856 and today the Waldensian Church of the Río de La Plata
(which forms a united church with the Waldensian Evangelical Church) has approximately 40 congregations and 15,000 members shared between Uruguay
and Argentina
.
The Argentine Catholic Apostolic Church is a derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira) founded by the excommunicated Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa of Brazil in 1945. The Argentine Catholic Apostolic Church was founded, according to varying sources, in 1970 or 1971, in Buenos Aires by its first Archbishop–Primate Leonardo Morizio Dominguez
.
Argentina has the largest Muslim
minority in Latin America. Although accurate statistics on religion are not available (because the national census does not solicit religious data) the actual size of Argentina
's Muslim community is estimated around 1% of the total population (400,000 to 500,000 members) according to the International Religious Freedom Report 2010.
The 20th century saw an influx of Arab
migrants to the country, mostly from Syria
and Lebanon
. It is estimated that today there are about 3.5 million Argentinians of Arab descent. The majority of these Arab immigrants were Christians and Sephardic Jews, and though accurate information is unavailable, probably less than a quarter of Arab migrants were actually Muslim. The descendants of Arab Jews are more likely to identify themselves as Jewish rather than Arab today.
The King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center, the largest mosque in South America, was completed in 1996 with the help of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
, on a piece of land measuring 20,000 m². The total land area granted by the Argentine government measures 34,000 m², and was offered by President Carlos Menem
following his visit to Saudi Arabia
in 1992. The project cost around US$30 million, and includes a mosque, library, two schools, a park, is located in the middle-class district of Palermo, Buenos Aires
.
The Islamic Organization of Latin America
(IOLA), headquartered in Argentina, is considered the most active organization in Latin America in promoting Islamic affiliated endeavors. The IOLA holds events to promote the unification of Muslims living in Latin America, as well as the propagation of Islam.
and economic and cultural pressures at home led many to leave; recent instability in Israel has resulted in a modest reversal of the trend since 2003.
Although Jews account for less than 1% of Argentina's population, Buenos Aires
has the second largest population of Jews in the Americas
, second only to New York City.
The law that regulates the acknowledgement of religions by the state dates from 1978, and makes it prohibitively bureaucratic for minority cults to attain official recognition, since it was passed by the dictatorial government of the time basically to search those cults for politically subversive elements. The current government has expressed its intention to modify the law, which would allow, for example, for the quick recognition of the native Mbyá-Guaraní tribal religion.
The Constitution requires the government to support Roman Catholicism economically. Despite this, the Supreme Court ruled that the Roman Catholic Church was not granted the status of official religion by the constitution or any federal legislation.
The Constitution once stated that the president
must be a Roman Catholic. This requirement was removed from the text in the 1994 constitutional reform
, since the president no longer designates Argentine bishops. The old 1853 text also included a goal "to keep a pacific relationship with the Indians and promote their conversion to Catholicism", which was deleted in the reform.
The federal state pays a salary to Roman Catholic
bishop
s. Each bishop receives a monthly salary that is set by law to the equivalent of 80% of that a judge, about 4,300 pesos or 1,430 USD. Older seminarists and retired priests receive minor pensions, and parishes in conflictive and border areas are subsidized with 335 pesos per month (112 USD). As of December 2005, and after recent conflicts with the national government, the Argentine Episcopacy is considering the possibility of forgoing this support, in favor of full independence.
The state also subsidizes
many private school
s, most of which are affiliated with the Catholic Church. The total economic support of the Church by the state amounts to 12 million Argentine peso
s per year (about 4 million USD
).
Besides traditional religious practices, there are also a number of unconventional practices, usually part of local folklore. One of the most famous is the veneration of La Difunta Correa
("The Deceased Correa"). Many other beliefs in advocations of the Virgin, saints and other religious characters exist throughout the country, which are locally or regionally popular and church-endorsed.
Another popular cult is that of the Gauchito Gil
("the little gaucho
Gil", Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez), born in the province of Corrientes
(allegedly in 1847). Gil was forced to enlist to fight in the civil war, but he deserted and became an outlaw à la Robin Hood
.
From the Río Negro Province
, Ceferino Namuncurá
, son of the Mapuche
cacique
Manuel Namuncurá, is also source of veneration all over the Patagonia
. He died of tuberculosis
with only 18 years of age, while in Italy during his catholic education, and was later named venerable
by the Vatican
.
There is also the popular cult of Miguel Ángel Gaitán
, from Villa Unión, in La Rioja
, known as El Angelito Milagroso, an infant who died of meningitis just short of his first birthday, who people recur to for requests and miracles.
According to CONICET survey on creeds, about 76.5% of Argentines are Roman Catholic
, 11.3% religiously indifferent, 9% Protestant (with 7.9% in Pentecostal
denominations), 1.2% Jehovah's Witnesses
, and 0.9% Mormons.
On the other hand, there are members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known as Hare Krishna, as per a review in Clarin newspaper in year 2001, with 3.000 members in Argentina.
A 2008 survey called America's Barometer by the Vanderbilt University
points out Catholic 77.1%, No religion 15.9%, Protestant, Evangelical and other Christian 4.8% ( with Pentecostal 3.3%), Other 2.1%.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
is nominally Roman Catholic, however, a very significant fact is that 61.1% of Argentines said to be related to God "on their own way", 72.9% said to "never" or "rarely" attend ceremonies of worship.
Pentecostal churches and traditional Protestant denominations are present in most communities. Argentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America, about 300,000. Muslim Argentines
Islam in Argentina
Islam in Argentina is represented by one of Latin America's largest Muslim minorities. Although accurate statistics on religion are not available the actual size of Argentina's Muslim community is estimated around 1% of the total population according to the International Religious Freedom Report...
number about 400,000–500,000, or approximately 1% of the population (as of 2010).
A recent study found that approximately 11% of Argentines are non-religious, including those who believe in God, though not religion, agnostics (4%) and atheists (5%). Overall, 24% attended religious services regularly.
Roman Catholicism
Estimates for the number of Roman Catholics vary from 70% of the population, to as much as 90%. According to Annuario Pontificio
Annuario Pontificio
The Annuario Pontificio is the annual directory of the Holy See. It lists all the popes to date and all officials of the Holy See's departments...
, based on parish statistics, between 64 and 74% of the population is Catholic. The CIA Factbook lists 92% of the country is Catholic, but only 20% are practicing regularly or weekly at a church service.
Catholic practices in Argentina (especially in the non-central areas) might be seen as incorporating a great deal of syncretism
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
; for example, religious festivals in the north-western provinces feature Catholic icons in (or along with) ancient Andean indigenous ceremonies. The Pachamama
Pachamama
Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as Mother Earth, but a more literal translation would be "Mother world"...
worship is still widespread throughout Salta and Jujuy along with Catholic beliefs, without opposition from the Catholic Bishops.
In this regard, the missiologist, Jonas Adelin Jorgensen, notes that "Christian witness on cultural-religious frontiers raises fresh questions about bewilderingly complex and constantly evolving issues of contexualization and syncretism" in, for example, predminantly Hindu and Muslim societies, "where the word 'Christian' has long been associated with the worst that Western Christianity has to offer."
The church in Argentina is divided into administrative territorial units called diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s and archdioceses. Buenos Aires, for example, is an archdiocese owing to is size and historical significance as the capitol of the nation. The archdiocese of Buenos Aires
Archdiocese of Buenos Aires
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Buenos Aires is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. The Archbishop since 28 February 1998 is Jorge Bergoglio...
is headed by Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the current metropolitan archbishop. Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral
Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral
The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral is the main Catholic church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located in the city center, overlooking Plaza de Mayo, on the corner of San Martín and Rivadavia streets, in the San Nicolás neighbourhood...
, the seat of the archbishop, also houses the remains of General José de San Martín
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...
in a mausoleum.
There are seven Catholic universities in Argentina: Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina
Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina
The Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina is a university in Argentina with campus in the cities of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Rosario, Paraná, Mendoza and Pergamino. The main campus is located in Puerto Madero, one of the most modern neighborhood of Buenos Aires...
(Buenos Aires), the Universidad Católica de Córdoba
Universidad Católica de Córdoba
The Universidad Católica de Córdoba is a private Jesuit university of Argentina that was founded on June 8 1956....
, the Universidad de La Plata, the Universidad de Salta, the Universidad de Santa Fe, the Universidad de Cuyo, and the Universidad de Santiago del Estero. Religious orders run and sponsor hundreds of primary and secondary schools throughout the country, with government funding.
Other Christian denominations
EvangelicalProtestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
churches have been gaining a foothold since the 1980s, and count approximately 9% of the total population amongst their followers. Pentecostal churches and traditional Protestant denominations are present in most communities. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, claiming over 330,000 (the seventh-largest congregation in the world), are also present. A recent study found that Protestants were the only group in which a majority regularly attended services.
The first Waldensian settlers from Italy arrived in South America in 1856 and today the Waldensian Church of the Río de La Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
(which forms a united church with the Waldensian Evangelical Church) has approximately 40 congregations and 15,000 members shared between Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
The Argentine Catholic Apostolic Church is a derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira) founded by the excommunicated Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa of Brazil in 1945. The Argentine Catholic Apostolic Church was founded, according to varying sources, in 1970 or 1971, in Buenos Aires by its first Archbishop–Primate Leonardo Morizio Dominguez
Leonardo Morizio Dominguez
Leonardo Morizio Dominguez was the first head of the Iglesia Católica Apostólica Argentina. He had been a priest and military chaplain but came to disagree with the position of the Vatican, and so sought consegration from Bishops of the Independent Catholic Church in Brazil and then set up a...
.
Islam
Argentina has the largest Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
minority in Latin America. Although accurate statistics on religion are not available (because the national census does not solicit religious data) the actual size of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's Muslim community is estimated around 1% of the total population (400,000 to 500,000 members) according to the International Religious Freedom Report 2010.
The 20th century saw an influx of Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
migrants to the country, mostly from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. It is estimated that today there are about 3.5 million Argentinians of Arab descent. The majority of these Arab immigrants were Christians and Sephardic Jews, and though accurate information is unavailable, probably less than a quarter of Arab migrants were actually Muslim. The descendants of Arab Jews are more likely to identify themselves as Jewish rather than Arab today.
The King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center, the largest mosque in South America, was completed in 1996 with the help of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques , a historical term, was a pious title taken by the Ayyubids, the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt, and the Ottoman Sultans; it has been revived by modern Saudi kings.-Saudi monarchy:...
, on a piece of land measuring 20,000 m². The total land area granted by the Argentine government measures 34,000 m², and was offered by President Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
following his visit to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
in 1992. The project cost around US$30 million, and includes a mosque, library, two schools, a park, is located in the middle-class district of Palermo, Buenos Aires
Palermo, Buenos Aires
Palermo is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It is located in the northeast of the city, bordering the barrios of Belgrano to the north, Almagro and Recoleta to the south, Villa Crespo and Colegiales to the west and the Río de la Plata river to the east. With a total...
.
The Islamic Organization of Latin America
Islamic Organization of Latin America
The Islamic Organization of Latin America , also known as the Organización Islámica Para América Latina , headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is considered the most active organization in Latin America in promoting Islamic affiliated endeavors...
(IOLA), headquartered in Argentina, is considered the most active organization in Latin America in promoting Islamic affiliated endeavors. The IOLA holds events to promote the unification of Muslims living in Latin America, as well as the propagation of Islam.
Judaism
Argentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America with about 300,000. The community numbered about 400,000 after World War II, but the appeal of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and economic and cultural pressures at home led many to leave; recent instability in Israel has resulted in a modest reversal of the trend since 2003.
Although Jews account for less than 1% of Argentina's population, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
has the second largest population of Jews in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, second only to New York City.
Legal status
The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. In a study assessing nations' levels of religious regulation and persecution with scores ranging from 0–10 where 0 represented low levels of regulation or persecution, Argentina received a score of 1.4 on Government Regulation of Religion, 6.0 on Social Regulation of Religion, 6.9 on Government Favoritism of Religion and 6 on Religious Persecution.The law that regulates the acknowledgement of religions by the state dates from 1978, and makes it prohibitively bureaucratic for minority cults to attain official recognition, since it was passed by the dictatorial government of the time basically to search those cults for politically subversive elements. The current government has expressed its intention to modify the law, which would allow, for example, for the quick recognition of the native Mbyá-Guaraní tribal religion.
State-Catholic church relations
The Constitution requires the government to support Roman Catholicism economically. Despite this, the Supreme Court ruled that the Roman Catholic Church was not granted the status of official religion by the constitution or any federal legislation.
The Constitution once stated that the president
President of Argentina
The President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
must be a Roman Catholic. This requirement was removed from the text in the 1994 constitutional reform
1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution
The 1994 amendment to the Constitution of Argentina was approved on 22 August by a Constitutional Assembly that met in the twin cities of Santa Fe and Paraná...
, since the president no longer designates Argentine bishops. The old 1853 text also included a goal "to keep a pacific relationship with the Indians and promote their conversion to Catholicism", which was deleted in the reform.
The federal state pays a salary to Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s. Each bishop receives a monthly salary that is set by law to the equivalent of 80% of that a judge, about 4,300 pesos or 1,430 USD. Older seminarists and retired priests receive minor pensions, and parishes in conflictive and border areas are subsidized with 335 pesos per month (112 USD). As of December 2005, and after recent conflicts with the national government, the Argentine Episcopacy is considering the possibility of forgoing this support, in favor of full independence.
The state also subsidizes
Subsidy
A subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
many private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
s, most of which are affiliated with the Catholic Church. The total economic support of the Church by the state amounts to 12 million Argentine peso
Argentine peso
The peso is the currency of Argentina, identified by the symbol $ preceding the amount in the same way as many countries using dollar currencies. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. Its ISO 4217 code is ARS...
s per year (about 4 million USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
).
Popular cults
Difunta Correa
The Deceased Correa is a semi-pagan mythical figure in folk-religion, for which a number of people in Argentina and Chile, especially among the popular classes, feel a great devotion...
("The Deceased Correa"). Many other beliefs in advocations of the Virgin, saints and other religious characters exist throughout the country, which are locally or regionally popular and church-endorsed.
Another popular cult is that of the Gauchito Gil
Gauchito Gil
The Gauchito Gil is a legendary character of Argentina's popular culture). His full name was Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez) and he was allegedly born in the area of Pay Ubre, nowadays Mercedes, Corrientes, possibly in the 1840s, and died on 8 January 1878).-The legend:Popular accounts vary, but in...
("the little gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
Gil", Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez), born in the province of Corrientes
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
(allegedly in 1847). Gil was forced to enlist to fight in the civil war, but he deserted and became an outlaw à la Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
.
From the Río Negro Province
Río Negro Province
Río Negro is a province of Argentina, located at the northern edge of Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.Its capital is Viedma...
, Ceferino Namuncurá
Ceferino Namuncurá
Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá was a saintly religious student and the object of a Roman Catholic cultus of veneration in northern Patagonia and throughout Argentina.- Early life :...
, son of the Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
Manuel Namuncurá, is also source of veneration all over the Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
. He died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
with only 18 years of age, while in Italy during his catholic education, and was later named venerable
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
by the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
.
There is also the popular cult of Miguel Ángel Gaitán
Miguel Ángel Gaitán
Miguel Ángel Gaitán , also known as El Angelito Milagroso was an Argentine baby who died of meningitis, fifteen days before his first birthday.He was born in Banda Florida, on the banks of the Bermejo River, in Villa Unión, head of the Coronel...
, from Villa Unión, in La Rioja
La Rioja Province (Argentina)
La Rioja is a one of the provinces of Argentina and is located in the west of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Catamarca, Córdoba, San Luis and San Juan.-History:...
, known as El Angelito Milagroso, an infant who died of meningitis just short of his first birthday, who people recur to for requests and miracles.
Affiliation estimates
According to the World Christian Database, Argentines are 92.1% Christian, 3.1% agnostic, 1.9% Muslim, 1.3% Jewish, 0.9% atheist, and 0.9% Buddhist and other.According to CONICET survey on creeds, about 76.5% of Argentines are Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, 11.3% religiously indifferent, 9% Protestant (with 7.9% in Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
denominations), 1.2% Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
, and 0.9% Mormons.
On the other hand, there are members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known as Hare Krishna, as per a review in Clarin newspaper in year 2001, with 3.000 members in Argentina.
A 2008 survey called America's Barometer by the Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
points out Catholic 77.1%, No religion 15.9%, Protestant, Evangelical and other Christian 4.8% ( with Pentecostal 3.3%), Other 2.1%.
See also
- Hinduism in Argentina
- Buddhism in ArgentinaBuddhism in ArgentinaBuddhism in Argentina has been well known since the early 1980s.Even though this is a mainly Catholic country, Chinese immigrants established the first Chinese temple in 1986. By the same time, Korean immigrants founded their own temple...
- Religion in the United Provinces of the Río de la PlataReligion in the United Provinces of the Río de la PlataReligion in the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata saw great changes from the religious uses at the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, in the wake of the great social upheavals that took place during the Argentine War of Independence...
External links
- The Argentine Constitution
- U.S. Department of State - 2004 Annual Report for International Religious Freedom: Argentina
- Religious Freedom World Report - Argentina
- Marita Carballo. Valores culturales al cambio del milenio (ISBN 950-794-064-2). Cited in La NaciónLa NaciónLa Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
, 2005-05-08. - ACI Digital, January 2000 (In Spanish)