[Catholic Caucus] Vatican II Springtime: the Collapse of Female Religious in Latin America

Rorate Caeli ^ | May 9, 2019 | New Catholic

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Vatican II Springtime: the Collapse of Female Religious in Latin America

The number of female professed religious in Latin America:

(1) 1980: 120,016 (89,936 in South, 30,080 in Central America and Mexico)

Note: In 1980, the population of Latin America was of approximately 364,000,000,including approximately 92,000,000 in Central America and Mexico

(2) 2016: 102,953 (69,552 in South, 33,401 in Central America)

Note: In 2016, the population of Latin America was of approximately 640,000,000; including approximately 175,000,000 in Central America and Mexico, where a slight increase of female religious was not at all proportional to the demographic expansion.

(3) The Collapse was worst in the current pontiff's native Argentina (from 12,446 to 7,227 in the same period). The Argentinian population grew from approximately 28,000,000 to 43,500,000 in the period.

Source. The same study found that "while the Church globally experienced a 31% decline in the total number of postulants and novices between 1990 and 2016, that figure fell by just over half in mainland Central America, and declined by 71% in South America." (p. 7)

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(3) The Collapse was worst in the current pontiff's native Argentina (from 12,446 to 7,227 in the same period). The Argentinian population grew from approximately 28,000,000 to 43,500,000 in the period.

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Ping

[faithhopecharity]

we do see a collapse in religious here in USA too....
with secular teachers being hired when teaching sisters/nuns retire...

[Clemenza]

You know things are bad when a nun in Colombia sees porn as more ethical than the RCC.

[FES0844]

Back in the late 60’s they “opened the windows” and modernized convent rules. They broke something that didn’t need fixing and the exodus began.

[faithhopecharity]

I see. this is something I don’t understand very well, how changing convent rules caused such a big drop in “recruiting”....

I rather imagine that the rules change (especially if in the 1960’s) was designed to (as you say, open the windows a bit).. .make convent/religious life somewhat easier, less restrictive/confining (to use quick wording, my apologies for the wording but you get the gist, idea...)...

if so, its probable that the idea of doing that was to make religious life more attractive for “modern women”...????

yet, the “recruiting” went down instead of up?

interesting!
it does feel a bit odd to visit a RC school and see no visible religious (sisters/nuns or priests)

[married21]

If only the Flying Nun came back.....