The Catholic Church in Paraguay is part of the worldwide

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 ...

, under the spiritual leadership of the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In 2018, there were around 5.7 million Catholics in

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

- approximately 88.3%https://www.statista.com/statistics/1067159/paraguay-religion-affiliation-share-type// Religion affiliation in Paraguay as of 2018. Based on Latinobarómetro.] Survey period: 15 June – 2 August 2018, 1,200 respondents. of the total population. The country is divided into twelve dioceses including one archdiocese. The evangelization of Paraguay began in 1542. The first

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

was erected in 1547, though not occupied until 1556. In 1609, the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

came and devised the " reductions" system of evangelization, organizing Indians into communities where they learned agriculture, husbandry, and trades. The Spanish government was suspicious of these communities, fearing a threat to the colonial system, but they continued until 1768 when the Jesuits were expelled from Latin America. After independence in 1811, the government still tried to control the Church by nominating its leadership.

References

{{South America in topic, Catholic Church in, groupstyle=background-color:gold, titlestyle=background-color:gold

1542 establishments in the Spanish Empire

See also

References