WILD excitement greeted Pope Francis as he touched down in Rio de Janeiro on July 22nd. Brazil’s 123m Roman Catholics are doubly happy: firstly that the new Pope is making his maiden foreign trip to their country, and secondly because Francis, formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is the first Latin American (Argentine) Pope. Nonetheless, the celebrations are more muted than in the past. Catholicism, which once had a near-monopoly on Latin American souls, is a waning force all over the region. Why are Latin Americans drifting away from Rome?
