Under the banner of \u201creligion and traditional (ecclesiastical) privileges\u201d, in 1858 Mexican Conservatives rose in arms against a Liberal constitution which declared freedom of worship and ended a rule preventing Catholic church property from being transferred to anyone else. After a three-year war, the liberal principles of religious toleration and the separation of church and state triumphed. In the following decades they spread across Latin America. Now, it seems, this 19th-century political battle has to be fought all over again.<\/p>\n
The new blurring of the divide between spiritual and temporal realms owes much to the rise of evangelical Protestantism. Although 69% of Latin Americans were still Catholics in 2014, 19% were Protestants (26% in Brazil and more than 40% in three Central American countries), says a Pew poll. The number of Protestants is likely to have risen since then. Most are Pentecostals.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n The number of Pentecostals has risen in Latin America. Many want their beliefs to shape public policy https:\/\/t.co\/gVTpcnyMJr<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Economist (@TheEconomist) February 12, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n