TheCatholic Church in Peru is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thepope, thecuria inRome, and the PeruvianEpiscopal Conference.
Catholics compose an estimated 76% of Peru's population,[1] according to the 2017 census.[2] In 2020, there were over 3,000 priests and over 9,000 nuns serving across 1,670 parishes;[3] the church also ran 136 hospitals and homes for the old and infirm.
The Holy See and the government of Peru concluded a pact regulating their relations and certain aspects of the Church's status in Peru on 26 July 1980.[4]
Peru has produced two famous saints,St. Rose of Lima andSt. Martin de Porres, as well as two Blesseds, Ana de los Ángeles (Ana Monteagudo Ponce de León) andAntonia Luzmila Rivas López (María Agustina).[5]
In 2025,Pope Leo XIV, an American who migrated to Peru in 1985 and who also spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru, would become the first Pope with Peruvian citizenship.[6][7]
Catholicism has been decreasing for many decades. According to the different census, in 1940, 98.5% of the Peruvian population adhered to Catholicism, decreasing to 94.6% in 1981 and to 81.3% in 2007.
| Year | Percent | Decrease |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 98.5% | - |
| 1961 | 97.3% | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 96.4% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 94.6% | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 89.0% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 81.3% | -7.7% |
| 2017 | 76.0% | -5.3% |
The Peruvian Catholic Church is divided intodioceses andarchdioceses:
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