Religion in Mexico

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Unlike some other Latin American countries, Mexico has no official religion, and the Constitution of 1917 and the anti-clerical laws imposed limitations on the church and sometimes codified state intrusion into church matters. The government does not provide any financial contributions to the church, and the church does not participate in public education. However, Christmas is a national holiday and every year during Easter all schools in Mexico, public and private, send their students on vacation.

The last census reported, by self-ascription, that over 95% of the population is Christian. Roman Catholics are 89%[1] of the total population, 47% percent of whom attend church services weekly.[2] In absolute terms, Mexico has the world's second largest number of Catholics after Brazil.[3]

In 1992, Mexico lifted almost all restrictions on the Catholic Church and other religions, including granting all religious groups legal status, conceding them limited property rights, and lifting restrictions on the number of priests in the country.[4] Until recently, priests did not have the right to vote, and even now they cannot be elected to public office.

[edit] Non Catholics

About 6% of the population (more than 4.4 million people) is Protestant,[1] of whom Pentecostals and Charismatics (called Neo-Pentecostals in the census), are the largest group (1.37 million people)[1]. There are also a sizeable number of Seventh-day Adventists (0.6 million people)[5]. The 2000 national census counted more than one million Jehovah's Witnesses.[1] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with its growing presence in the major border cities of northeastern Mexico, claims one million registered members nation-wide as of 2006, about 250,000 of whom are active,[6][7] though this is disputed.[8]

According to the Jehovah Witness report of 2007 there are 639 320 active members (members who actively preach), but almost 2 million people attend the Jehovah witnesses annual Memorial of Christ's death (also known as the Lord's Evening Meal).

The presence of Jews in Mexico dates back to 1521, when Hernando Cortés conquered the Aztecs, accompanied by several Conversos. According to the last national census by the INEGI, there are now more than 45,000 Mexican Jews.[1] Islam is mainly practiced by members of the Arab, Turkish, and other expatriate communities, though there is a very small number of the indigenous population in Chiapas that practices Islam.

While most indigenous Mexicans are Catholic, some combine or syncretize Catholic practices with native traditions. In the Yucatán Peninsula, some few Mayan peoples still practice the traditional beliefs of their people, without being syncretized with Christianity, but these are not numerous. Almost three million people in the 2000 National Census reported having no religion.[1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Religión (PDF). Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2000. INEGI (2000). Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
  2. ^ Church attendance. Study of worldwide rates of religiosity. University of Michigan (1997). Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
  3. ^ The Largest Catholic Communities. Adherents.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
  4. ^ Mexico. International Religious Report. U.S. Department of State (2003). Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
  5. ^ Religious Liberty Thriving, Government Official Tells Adventist Leaders
  6. ^ Mexico, Country profile. The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Days Saints Newsroom. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
  7. ^ Ludlow, Daniel H. (1994). Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4:1527. 
  8. ^ Arizona Republic, 2001-07-10

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