An overview of the Church in Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru

Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journey on November 6-17 will take him to three countries that together recorded nearly 77 million baptized Catholics in 2024.

Figures compiled by the Vatican’s Central Office of Church Statistics, drawn from the Church’s Statistical Yearbook, trace developments from 1980 to 2024.

They provide background to the communities the Pope will encounter in Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru.

Uruguay

Uruguay, the first country on the itinerary, recorded 2.754 million baptized Catholics in 2024, representing nearly 77 percent of its 3.579 million inhabitants.

The Church counted nine ecclesiastical jurisdictions, 238 parishes, and 369 priests, alongside 97 permanent deacons, 436 professed women religious, and 71 major seminarians.

The figures show a decline in priests from 587 in 1980, while women religious decreased from 1,621. Annual baptisms fell from 41,673 to 11,066 over the same period.

Educational institutions enrolled 72,600 students, and charitable and welfare institutions numbered 149.

During the visit, the Pope will celebrate Mass in Florida, home to the shrine of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, patroness of Uruguay.

Argentina

Argentina has the largest Catholic population of the three countries: 43.17 million baptized faithful, or over 92 percent of its 47.068 million inhabitants.

Its 73 ecclesiastical jurisdictions included 2,971 parishes. The Church counted 5,137 priests, 1,268 permanent deacons, 5,921 professed women religious, and 871 major seminarians.

Permanent deacons increased from 36 in 1980, while the number of priests declined from 5,450. Major seminarians numbered 2,260 in 1990.

Schools and universities run by the Church enrolled 1,556,606 students, while charitable and welfare institutions in the country counted 3,345, the highest number among the three countries.

The Pope’s itinerary in Argentina includes a visit to the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, a residential care facility.

Peru

Peru recorded 31.074 million baptized Catholics, representing over 91 percent of its 34.038 million inhabitants.

Across 46 ecclesiastical jurisdictions and 1,710 parishes, the Church counted 3,246 priests, 71 permanent deacons, 4,720 professed women religious, and 864 major seminarians.

The number of priests rose from 2,233 in 1980, although they were slightly below the 2020 total of 3,292. Major seminarians declined from 2,077 in 2010.

Educational institutions enrolled 571,482 students, while the Church’s charitable and welfare institutions numbered 1,219.

The journey will bring Pope Leo back to Chiclayo, where he served as Bishop from 2015 to 2023, and to Pucallpa for an encounter with missionaries and Indigenous peoples.

Outreach through education and care

The Church’s presence in the three Latin American nations extends through classrooms, care homes, and charitable institutions.

Between 1980 and 2024, enrollment in Catholic educational institutions grew in Argentina and Peru, while Argentina’s network of charitable and welfare institutions expanded substantially.

These forms of outreach will feature in the Apostolic Journey. Pope Leo will meet Catholic university communities and visit the Don Orione residential community for people with disabilities in Claypole and a home for older people in Callao.

These encounters will bring him alongside those who receive and provide the Church’s daily services in education and social care.