According to article 24 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.[1]

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.

Religions in Paraguay according to 2002 and 1992 censuses [1]

Religions in Paraguay[2]
Religion Number of followers 2002 Percentage 2002 Number of followers 1992 Percentage 1992 Change 1992-2002
Catholicism 3,488,086 89.61% 2,749,888 93.25% -3.64%
Indigenous & Catholic 223 0.01 N/A N/A N/A
Orthodox 25 <0.00% N/A N\A N/A
Russian (Orthodox) 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
Neotestimentaria (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 demoninations** 264,233 6.78% 138,573 4.70% +2.08%
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
Shintoism 30 <0.01% N/A N/A N/A
Bahá'í Faith 225[3] 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 23,741 0.61 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 0.78% +0.36%
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:

Roman Catholicism in Paraguay

Main article Roman Catholicism in Paraguay

Catholicism has long been the most important religion in Paraguay, the Bishopric of Asunción was created in 1547[4]. 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 Virgen Mary [15 August], Feast of The Immaculate Conception [8 December] and Christmas[5].

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".

Bahá'í Faith in Paraguay

Main article: Bahá'í Faith in Paraguay

The Bahá'í Faith]] in Paraguay begins after `Abdu'l-Bahá ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (23 May 1844 - 28 November 1921), born `Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith, then head of the religion, mentioned the country in 1916.[6] Paraguayan Maria Casati was the first to join the religion in 1939 when living in Buenos Aires.[7] The first pioneer to settle in Paraguay was Elizabeth Cheney late in 1940[8] and the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Asunción Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay was elected in 1944.[8][9] By 1961 Paraguayan Bahá'ís had elected the first National Spiritual Assembly Spiritual Assembly is a term given by `Abdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Bahá'í Faith. Because the Bahá'í Faith has no clergy, they carried out some of the responsibilities of clergy, as well as some responsibilities that an elected Board of Deacons or Parish Council of a Christian church might perform. In addition to and by 1963 there were 3 local assemblies plus other communities.[10] Recent estimates of Bahá'ís mention 5500[11] or 13000[12] though the state Census doesn't mention the Bahá'ís.[13]

Judaism 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.[14]

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.[14]

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.[14]

Islam in Paraguay

Main article Islam in Paraguay

The 1992 census recorded 872 Muslims in Paraguay 486 of which were in the Alto Parana department, the capital of which is Ciudad del Este. There are also communities in Asunción and Itapua (the capital fo which is Encarnación)[15]. 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[16]

Latter Day Saints in Paraguay

The Asunción Paraguay Temple (Mormon)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a restorationist Christian church, and is the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. circa 1830. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations (called wards or branches) worldwide claims more than 70,000 members in Paraguay and that its membership has doubled in the past five years.[17]

External links

Notes

  1. ^ Paraguay: Constitución de 1992
  2. ^ www.dgeec.gov.py
  3. ^ This number is reported by email, but there is no online reference to this number. See article Bahá'í Faith in Paraguay.
  4. ^ Paraguay - RELIGION
  5. ^ http://www.libertadeslaicas.org.mx/paginas/infoEspecial/historia/02Historiografia/10040212.pdf
  6. ^ `Abdu'l-Bahá ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (23 May 1844 - 28 November 1921), born `Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith (1991). Tablets of the Divine Plan (Paperback ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 31–32. ISBN The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN , is a unique, numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 0877432333. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TDP/tdp-6.html.
  7. ^ Cameron, G.; & Momen, W. (1996). A Basic Bahá'í Chronology. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. pp. 254, 263, 458. ISBN The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN , is a unique, numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 0853984022.
  8. ^ a b Lamb, Artemus (November 1995). The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America:Some Remembrances, English Revised and Amplified Edition. 1405 Killarney Drive, West Linn OR, 97068, United States of America: M L VanOrman Enterprises. http://bahai-library.com/books/latinamerica.lamb.html.
  9. ^ Effendi, Shoghi Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957. After the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1921, the leadership of the Bahá'í community entered a new phase, evolving from that of a single individual to an administrative order with executive and (1944). God Passes By. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. p. 399. ISBN The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN , is a unique, numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 0-87743-020-9. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/gpb-26.html.iso8859-1#gr55.
  10. ^ The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963, Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land, pages 15, 108
  11. ^ "Republic of Paraguay". Operation World. Paternoster Lifestyle. 2001. http://www.operationworld.org/country/para/owtext.html. Retrieved 2098-07-25.
  12. ^ "Compare Countries International > Compare Countries > Brazil Paraguay". The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/MultiCompare2.asp?c=176,%203. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  13. ^ "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. http://www.dgeec.gov.py/Publicaciones/Biblioteca/Web%20Paraguay%20Total%20Pais/P11%20total.pdf. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  14. ^ a b c Jews of Paraguay
  15. ^ Dirección General de Estadísticas, Encuestas y Censos
  16. ^ Los Musulmanes - The Spanish Ummah of the Muslim world
  17. ^ LDS Newsroom - Paraguay
Religion in South America
Sovereign states This is a list of sovereign states, containing 203 entries, giving an overview of states around the world with information on the status and recognition of their sovereignty. For the sake of clarity, it is divided into two parts. The first part lists all 193 widely recognised sovereign states, including all member states of the United Nations. The

Argentina A majority of the population of Argentina is nominally Roman Catholic. According to one source, about 76.5% of Argentinians are Roman Catholic, 11.3% religiously indifferent, 9% Protestant , 1.2% Jehovah's Witnesses, and 0.9% Mormons.In the last decades, as in the rest of America, there has been a rise in Evangelical movements, which have mostly · Bolivia The Roman Catholic church has a dominant presence in religion in Bolivia. National Institute of Statistics in its 2001 survey showed the following religious affiliation in Bolivia: Catholic 77.99%, Protestant 19.46%, No religion 2.44%, and Other 0.11%. While a vast majority of Bolivians are Catholic, a much smaller portion of the population · Brazil Although over seventy percent of the population declared themselves Roman Catholic in the last census , Brazilian religions are very diversified and inclined to syncretism – the union, or attempted fusion, of different systems of thought or belief. In recent decades there has been a great increase of Neo-Pentecostal churches, which has decreased · Chile · Colombia The Religion in Colombia is an expression of the different cultural heritages in the Colombian culture including the Spanish colonisation, the Native Amerindian and the Afro-Colombian · Ecuador · Guyana Christianity and Hinduism are the dominant religions in Guyana. Data from a 2002 census on religious affiliation indicates that approximately 57 percent of the population is Christian: 17 percent Pentecostal, 8 percent Roman Catholic, 7 percent Anglican, 5 percent Seventh-day Adventist, and 20 percent other Christian groups. Approximately 28 · Panama The government of Panama does not collect statistics on the religious affiliation of citizens, but various sources estimate that 75 to 85 percent of the population identifies itself as Roman Catholic and 15 to 25 percent as evangelical Christian. The Bahá'í Faith community of Panama is estimated at 2.00% of the national population, or about 60,001 · Paraguay · Peru According to the 1993 Census, 89% of the Peruvian population over 12 years old declared themselves as Catholics, 6.7% as Evangelicals, 2.6% as of other denominations, 1.4% as non-religious and 0.2% did not specify any affiliation · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago is a multi-religious nation. The largest religious groups are the Roman Catholics and Hindus; the Anglicans, Muslims, Presbyterians, Methodist are among the smaller faiths. Two Afro-Caribbean syncretic faiths, the Shouter or Spiritual Baptists and the Orisha faith are among the fastest growing religious groups. The fastest1 · Uruguay Church and state are officially separated since approximately 1916 in Uruguay. According to the most recent official survey 47.1% of Uruguayans define themselves as Roman Catholic, 23.2% as "believing in God but without religion", 17.2% as Atheist or Agnostic, 11.1% "Non-Catholic Christian" , 0.6% as followers of Umbanda or · Venezuela Venezuela, like most South American nations, is a predominantly Catholic nation. The influence of the Catholic Church was introduced in its colonization by Spain. The population of Venezuela is approximately 96% Catholic. The list of Venezuela's religions can be found here. Out of the other religions, Protestants make up 2% and other religions
Dependencies A dependent territory, dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a State

Aruba1 / Netherlands Antilles1 (Netherlands) · Falkland Islands / South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK) 2 · French Guiana (France)
1 Territories also in This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent, sometimes referred to as transcontinental states. The definitions of what continent a particular country covers may vary according to which criteria are used (whether purely geographical or geological or, on the other hand, political, economic or cultural criteria). An example is Russia, or commonly considered to be part of North America North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the southeast. North and/or Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. Most of Central America is considered to be part of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot. 2 Territories also in This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent, sometimes referred to as transcontinental states. The definitions of what continent a particular country covers may vary according to which criteria are used (whether purely geographical or geological or, on the other hand, political, economic or cultural criteria). An example is Russia, or commonly considered to be part of Antarctica The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence. The region covers some 20% of the Southern Hemisphere, of which 5.5% (1.

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