The Colombian Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Colombia, is the branch of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

nation of Colombia.

Organization

It is organized into 13 ecclesiastical provinces, subdivided into 13 archdioceses and 52 dioceses, and a Maronite

apostolic exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and e ...

. Over 120 religious orders, institutes, and lay organizations run hundreds of primary and secondary schools, hospitals, clinics, orphanages, colleges, and 8 universities across the country. The best known is

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana The Pontifical Xavierian University (in Spanish Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Societ ...

(in Cali) and

(in Bogotá), both Jesuit universities.Annuario Pontificio, 2009. Based on studies and a survey, about 90% of the Colombian population adheres to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, the majority of which (70.9%) are

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, while 16.7% adhere to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

(primarily Evangelicalism).

History

Catholicism was introduced to the country 1508. Two dioceses were organized in 1534. The Church grow significantly by the mid-17th century, in spite of the variety of Indian languages, government interference and competition among

religious orders A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious pract ...

. Some persecution followed the

declaration of independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

, in 1819. Throughout Latin America, the Church was subject to Spain and served its purposes throughout the colonial period and part of the nineteenth century. It was responsible for founding and directing schools for educating native elites (San Bartolome, El Rosario and the University of St. Thomas), creating and sustaining hospitals, help from the colonial bureaucracy and generally, as an instrument of control and social cohesion. In the late eighteenth century, the

Bourbon reforms The Bourbon Reforms ( es, Reformas Borbónicas) consisted of political and economic changes promulgated by the Spanish Monarchy, Spanish Crown under various kings of the House of Bourbon, since 1700, mainly in the 18th century. The beginning of ...

began to break down this scheme, especially with respect to education. For the first time the usefulness of the scholastic system used until then was questioned, and changes were sought. At Independence, the clergy split between those who supported the king (royalists) and those who preferred absolute independence (nationalists). The high clergy (bishops and dignitaries) supported the former, while parish priests and many of the religious, supported the latter. The role played by the clergy in Independence was decisive, because it contributed to the mobilization and recruitment of fighters; they served as chaplains and military leaders. With the Constitution of Colombia of 1991 the Colombian State was no longer Catholic. Equality and religious freedom were recognized. On June 22, 2012, media in Colombia, published the report titled "The Pope is concerned about the penetration of

Pentecostals Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

in Colombia" where religious pluralism merited serious consideration. The increasingly active presence of Pentecostal and Evangelical communities in many parts of Latin America were evident. On October 31, 2012 Bishop Juan Vicente Córdoba, Secretary General of the Colombian Episcopal Conference, announced that the Catholic Church would seek parishioners in shopping centers, placing parishes in these commercial establishments. 4

Mariano de Jesus Euse Hoyos Mariano is a masculine name from the Romance languages, corresponding to the feminine Mariana. It is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variant of the Roman Marianus which derived from Marius, and Marius derived from the Roman god Mars (see also ...

(the "father Marianito") and 7 religious of San Juan de Dios were beatified while Mother Laura Montoya, founder of the Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and St. Catherine of Siena (lauritas), was canonized.

Influence

Catholicism wielded a strong influence on public opinion and government affairs. The Church influences various fields and institutions, including: * Military and Police–The Bishopric of Colombia Castrense serves exclusively as staff diocese to active and retired staff and family members of the Colombian Armed Forces and the National Police. * The Apostolic Nunciature–the embassy of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

in the country. * The faithful–representing about 90% of the population. * Churches–land acquisition and construction * The Concordat with the Holy See came into force in 1886; the Constitutional Court enforced some of its provisions in 1993. The Colombian Bishops ' Conference spoke against it two weeks later.

Notes

{{South America in topic, Catholic Church in, groupstyle=background-color:gold, titlestyle=background-color:gold Colombia 1508 establishments in the Spanish Empire

Organization

History

Influence

See also

Notes