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Religion in Paraguay

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Christianity is the predominant religion in Paraguay, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. Before the arrival of Spanish missionaries, the people residing in the territory of modern day Paraguay practiced a variety of religions.[2]

Religion in Paraguay (2018 estimate)[1]

  Catholicism (88.3%)
  Protestantism (6.8%)
  Other Christian (0.9%)
  No religion (2.6%)
  Unanswered (0.8%)
  Other (0.6%)
St. Claire's Cathedral in Villarrica.

Paraguay is often classified as the most religious country in South America.[3] However, the state is officially secular, and freedom of religion is guaranteed by its constitution.[4]

Current situation

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According to article 27 of the Paraguayan Constitution of 1992, freedom of religion is recognised and there is no official religion. Relations between the State and the Catholic Church are to be based on independence, co-operation and autonomy. The independence of religious organisations is guaranteed.[5]

As can be seen below, the majority of Paraguayans are Roman Catholic, although the percentage of Paraguayans who identify themselves as Catholic has dropped slightly. There has been a corresponding growth in the influence of Evangelical churches in recent years. There are a number of Indigenous religions and there are also Buddhist (probably due to immigration from Korea), Jewish and Muslim communities in the country.

In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.[6]

Religions in Paraguay according to 2002 and 1992 censuses

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The 2002 census counted 5,163,198 people in Paraguay but the question about religion was meant only for those aged 10 or older, namely 3,892,603 persons.[7]

Religions in Paraguay[7]
Religion Number of followers 2002 Percentage 2002 Number of followers 1992 Percentage 1992 Change 1992–2002
Catholicism 3,489,531 89.64% 2,749,888 93.24% −3.60%
Indigenous & Catholic 223 0.01 N/A N/A N/A
Orthodox 25 <0.00% N/A N\A N/A
Orthodox (Russian) 470 0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Other Orthodox 950 0.02% N/A N/A N/A
Anglicanism 1,858 0.05% N/A N/A N/A
Indigenous & Anglican 29 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Lutheran 8,849 0.23% N/A N/A N/A
Presbyterian 276 0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Mennonites 8,445 0.22% N/A N/A N/A
Indigenous & Mennonite 8 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Traditional Christianity* (excl. Catholicism) 21,133 0.54% 14,497 0.49% +0.05%
Christian and Missionary Alliance 87 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Assemblies of God 9,879 0.25% N/A N/A N/A
Maranatha Baptist Church 10,355 0.27% N/A N/A N/A
Centro familiar de adoración aposent. 513 0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Comunidad Cristiana 1,046 0.03% N/A N/A N/A
Plymouth Brethren – Open Brothers 665 0.02% N/A N/A N/A
Independent 7 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Church of God (Pentecostal) 1,550 0.04% N/A N/A N/A
Church of God of Prophecy (Pentecostal) 149 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Methodists 451 0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Free Methodists 156 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Church of the Nazarene 86 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Neotestamentaria (Baptist) 276 0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Pentecostal 8,631 0.22% N/A N/A N/A
Other Evangelical 186,107 4.78% N/A N/A N/A
Seventh Day Adventist 7,804 0.20% N/A N/A N/A
Dios es Amor (Pentecostal) 1,290 0.03% N/A N/A N/A
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God 714 0.02% N/A N/A N/A
Unification Church 116 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) 9,374 0.24% N/A N/A N/A
Pueblo de Dios 12,114 0.31% N/A N/A N/A
Jehovah's Witnesses 11,805 0.30% N/A N/A N/A
Mount Zion Church 233 0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Other pseudo-Christian groups 825 0.02% N/A N/A N/A
Post-16th-Century Christian denominations** 264,233 6.79% 138,573 4.70% +2.09%
Judaism 1,100 0.03% 952 0.03% –
Islam 872 0.02% 1,200 0.04% −0.02%
Hinduism (Tao) 151 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Buddhism 2,088 0.05% N/A N/A N/A
Reyukai 72 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Shinto 30 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Baháʼí Faith 225[8] 0.01% N/A N/A N/A
"Eastern and Cultural Religions" (excl Islam)*** 2566 0.07% 2,811 0.10% −0.03%
Rosacrucis 7 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Spiritualists - E.C.Basilio 289 0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Umbanda 54 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Other, Spiritualist 66 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Mentalism 164 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Indigenous Religions 25,219 0.65 N/A N/A N/A
Religions not included above 1,208 0.03% N/A N/A N/A
Unspecified other religion 6,139 0.16% N/A N/A N/A
Religion not previously mentioned in 1992 Census**** 31,668 0.81% 8,152 0.28% +0.53%
No religion 44,334 1.14% 23,236 0.79% +0.35%
No response 37,206 0.96% 9,790 0.33% +0.63%
Total no. of participants 3,892,603 100% 2,949,099 100% –

NB:

  • Traditional Christianity taken to include Anglicanism, all branches of Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism and the Mennonites – all branches that had emerged by the end of the 16th Century (except Catholicism)
    • Post 16th Century Christian denominations includes: Christian and Missionary Alliance, Assemblies of God, Maranatha Baptist Church, Centro familiar de adoración aposent., Comunidad Cristiana, Plymouth Brethren – Open Brothers, Independent, Church of God (Pentecostal), Church of God of Prophecy (Pentecostal), Methodism, Free Methodism, Church of the Nazarene, Neotestimentaria (Baptist), Pentecostal, Other Evangelical, Seventh Day Adventist, Dios es Amor (Pentecostal), Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Unification Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Pueblo de Dios, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mount Zion Church & Other pseudo-Christian groups
      • Eastern and Cultural Religions includes: Hinduism (Tao), Buddhism, Reyukai, Shinto & Baháʼí ****Religions not previously mentioned in the 1992 census include: Rosacrucis, Spiritualists - E.C.Basilio, Umbanda, Other, Spiritualist, Mentalism, Indigenous Religions, Religions not included above & Unspecified other religion

Christianity

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Roman Catholicism

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Main article: Roman Catholicism in Paraguay
 
Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Asunción.

Catholicism has a played a major role in shaping Paraguay's culture. Catholicism has long been the most important religion in Paraguay, with the Bishopric of Asunción created in 1547.[9] The majority of government officials are Catholics and a number of Catholic festivals are public holidays (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Feast of The Assumption of the Virgin Mary [15 August], Feast of The Immaculate Conception [8 December] and Christmas).[10]

Many people mark the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with a pilgrimage to Caacupé. The Basilica of Caccupe contains a statuette of Our Lady of the Miracles. Pope John Paul II visited Caacupe in 1987.

The Church maintains the Universidad Católica "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción".

 
Catholic Chapel in Concepción. Christianity is the main religion in Paraguay.

Protestantism

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The second largest religious affiliation in Paraguay is Protestantism, which like in North America shows a wide array of denominations. Lutherans and Mennonites are the more traditional groups which are dominated by rather recent immigrants of European ancestry and their descendants; in 2022, the Mennonite Church, estimated that they had 46,000 members.[11] Evangelical and/or Charismatic churches have spread in recent decades mostly in the vast and long-established Mestizo population. The Bruderhof established a base in Paraguay in 1941, fleeing Nazi persecution. They left the country for North America in 1966, but returned and re-established themselves in 2010.[12]

Latter Day Saints

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Main article: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Paraguay
 
The Asunción Paraguay Temple (Mormon), opened in 2002

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) had 9,374 adherents according to the 2002 census but more recently (2015) claims to have more than 86,000 members[13] and 139 congregations in Paraguay.[13]

Jehovah's Witnesses

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Jehovah's Witnesses in a convention on the Ypacaraí Stadium

The Jehovah's Witnesses history in Paraguay dates back to 1924 with an Argentinian missionary named Juan Muñiz.[14][15][16][17] Through a government decree, dated January 3, 1979, the Government of Paraguay banned the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Paraguay.[18] Legal recognition was approved on August 8, 1991 [19] In 2020, the number of Jehovah's Witnesses was 11,051 active publishers, united in 226 congregations; 25,792 people attended annual celebration of Lord's Evening Meal in 2020.[20]

Buddhism

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When Brazil decided to halt Japanese immigration in the 1930s, a Japanese land company built an agricultural settlement southeast of Asunción. Two more colonies near Encarnación followed in the 1950s; many Japanese settlers came from neighboring Bolivia. These immigrants brought Buddhism with them. Until the 1960s most retained their Buddhist faith, but since then many have converted to Christianity. In 2020, about 0.23% of the population were Buddhists.[21]

Judaism

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Main article: History of the Jews in Paraguay

The first synagogue in Paraguay was established in 1917 by Sephardic Jews who had emigrated from Palestine, Turkey and Greece; though there had previously been some isolated Jewish settlers from Europe.[22]

Ashkenazi Jews from the Ukraine and Poland founded the Unión Hebraica in the 1920s, while in the 1930s between 15,000 and 20,000 refugees from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia fled to Paraguay to escape the holocaust. Many of these later moved on to Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Those who remained were later joined by immigrants who were mostly survivors of the concentration camps.[22]

Today, the Jewish community has around a 1000 members who live mainly in Asunción. There is a Jewish school Escuela Integral Estado de Israel. Asunción has three synagogues: Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Chabad and a Jewish museum.[22]

Islam

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Main article: Islam in Paraguay

The 1992 census recorded 872 Muslims in Paraguay, 486 of which were in the Alto Paraná department, the capital of which is Ciudad del Este. There are also communities in Asunción and Itapúa (the capital of which is Encarnación).[7] As in other parts of Latin America, many of these are descended from immigrants from Syria and Lebanon, though some may also be from Bangladesh and Pakistan.[23]

Baháʼí Faith

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Main article: Baháʼí Faith in Paraguay

The Baháʼí Faith in Paraguay begins after `Abdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, mentioned the country in 1916.[24] Paraguayan Maria Casati was the first to join the religion in 1939 when living in Buenos Aires.[25] The first Baháʼí pioneer to settle in Paraguay was Elizabeth Cheney late in 1940[26] and the first Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly of Asunción was elected in 1944.[26][27] By 1961 Paraguayan Baháʼís had elected the first National Spiritual Assembly and by 1963 there were 3 local assemblies plus other communities.[28] Estimates of Baháʼís mention 5,500 (2001 report)[29] or 10,600 (2010 report),[30] though the state Census doesn't mention the Baháʼís.[31]

References

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  1. ^ Religion affiliation in Paraguay as of 2018. Based on Latinobarómetro. Survey period: June 15 to August 2, 2018, 1,200 respondents.
  2. ^ "Religion affiliations in Paraguay 2018".
  3. ^ Smith, Oliver (15 April 2017). "Mapped: The world's most (and least) religious countries". The Telegraph.
  4. ^ UN Human Rights Office
  5. ^ "Paraguay: Constitución de 1992". pdba.georgetown.edu.
  6. ^ Freedom House, retrieved 2023-08-08
  7. ^ a b c "DGEEC::Dirección General de Estadística, Encuestas y Censos". www.dgeec.gov.py.
  8. ^ This number is reported by email, but there is no online reference to this number. See article Baháʼí Faith in Paraguay.
  9. ^ "Paraguay - religion". countrystudies.us.
  10. ^ "Red por las Libertades Laicas - Inicio" (PDF). www.libertadeslaicas.org.mx.
  11. ^ US State Dept 2022 report
  12. ^ "Villa Primavera". Bruderhof. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  13. ^ a b "Facts and Statistics: Paraguay". Newsroom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Part 2 - Witnesses to the Most Distant Part of the Earth - Watchtower online library".
  15. ^ "Part 1 - Witnesses to the Most Distant Part of the Earth - Watchtower online library".
  16. ^ "World Headquarters and Principal Offices of Jehovah's Witnesses - In Pictures - Watchtower online library".
  17. ^ "Theocratic News - Watchtower online library".
  18. ^ "Paraguay - Watchtower online library".
  19. ^ "Paraguay - Watchtower online library".
  20. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses - 2020 Country and Territory Reports".
  21. ^ World Religions Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  22. ^ a b c Leichter, Haruth Website Design, Harry. "Jews of Paraguay". haruth.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Los Musulmanes - The Spanish Ummah of the Muslim world". www.islamawareness.net.
  24. ^ `Abdu'l-Bahá (1991). Tablets of the Divine Plan (Paperback ed.). Wilmette, Illinois: US Baháʼí Publishing Trust. pp. 31–32. ISBN 0-87743-233-3.
  25. ^ Cameron, G.; Momen, W. (1996). A Basic Baháʼí Chronology. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. pp. 254, 263, 458. ISBN 0-85398-404-2.
  26. ^ a b Lamb, Artemus (November 1995). The Beginnings of the Baháʼí Faith in Latin America:Some Remembrances, English Revised and Amplified Edition. West Linn, OR: M L VanOrman Enterprises.
  27. ^ Effendi, Shoghi (1944). God Passes By. Wilmette, Illinois: US Baháʼí Publishing Trust. p. 399. ISBN 0-87743-020-9.
  28. ^ The Baháʼí Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Baháʼí Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953–1963, Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land, pages 15, 108
  29. ^ "Republic of Paraguay". Operation World. Paternoster Lifestyle. 2001. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  30. ^ "QuickLists: Most Baha'i (sic) Nations (2010)". Association of Religion Data Archives. 2010. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  31. ^ "CUADRO P11: PARAGUAY: Población de 10 años y más por grupos de edad, según área urbana-rural, sexo y religión, 2002" (PDF). Paraguay. Resultados Finales Censo Nacional de Población y Viviendas. Año 2002 - Total País. DGEEC, Gov of Paraguay. 2002. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
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