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TheCatholic Church in Paraguay is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thePope inRome.
In 2018, there were around 5.7 million Catholics inParaguay - approximately 88.3%[1] of the total population. The country is divided into twelvedioceses including onearchdiocese, theArchdiocese of Asunción. Itsmother church is the Cathedral ofOur Lady of the Assumption inAsunción.
In 2023, there were 900priests and over 1,000nuns serving 422 parishes.[2]
Theevangelization of Paraguay began in 1542. The firstdiocese was erected in 1547, though not occupied until 1556. In 1609, theJesuits came and devised the "reductions" system of evangelization, organizingindigenous peoples into communities where they learnedagriculture,husbandry, andtrades. TheSpanish government was suspicious of these communities, fearing a threat to thecolonial system, but they continued until 1767 when the Jesuits were expelled fromLatin America. After independence in 1811, the government still tried to control the Church by nominating its leadership.
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