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 Catholic Church in Uruguay | |
|---|---|
| Spanish:Iglesia Católica en Uruguay | |
 | |
| Type | National polity |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | Latin |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Cardinal | Daniel Sturla |
| Region | Uruguay |
| Language | Latin,Spanish |
| Origin | 17th century Banda Oriental |
| Official website | iglesiacatolica.org.uy |
TheCatholic Church inUruguay is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thepope.
In 2014, Catholics made up a minority of the population at 38%, second to the unaffiliated group, which came in at 41%.[2]
There are 9 dioceses and the archdiocese of Montevideo; the ordinaries gather in theEpiscopal Conference of Uruguay. The current archbishop isDaniel Sturla, who was appointed on 11 February 2014.[3]
Thepatron saint of Uruguay isOur Lady of the Thirty-Three, venerated at theCathedral Basilica of Florida.[4]
Evangelization of Uruguay followedSpanish settlement in 1624.Montevideo became adiocese in 1878, after being erected as a Vicarate in 1830.Missionaries followed thereduction pattern of gathering Indians into communities, training them in agriculture, husbandry, and other arts, while forming them in the Faith.[citation needed]
The constitution of 1830 made Catholicism the religion of the state and subsidized missions to Indians. In 1878, Montevideo was elevated to Diocese and, in 1897, toArchdiocese.[citation needed]
The constitution of 1917 enacted separation of Church and state.[5]
Two Eastern Catholic churches are also present in Uruguay, theArmenian Catholic Church[6] and theMaronite Church.[7]
Uruguay is a country wherereligious calling is low. Every year, some young people engage in religious careers. In 2013, there were 34 students at the Archdiocesan Seminary in Montevideo.[8]
So far, there is one Uruguayan saint and one blessed, but several beatification processes are open:[9]
Several religious orders are present in Uruguay.[10] Some of them arrived in colonial times (although their presence was intermittent during the first centuries):
After Uruguay was established as an independent country, several other religious orders established their own missions in Uruguay:
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