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Religious Beliefs and Spirituality in Chile

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Chile is a big and narrow strip located in southwest South America. It is bordered to the north by Peru, to the east by Argentina and Bolivia, and by the Pacific Ocean to the south and the west. The country has a total population of about 15,017,800 citizens and about 6 million of them reside in the metropolitan city of Santiago. About 84% of the population lives in urban regions while the rest reside in rural environments that are becoming urbanized at a very fast rate.

The majority of Chileans, about 73%, are linked to the Roman Catholic Church while 15% of the country’s population practices Protestantism. Some of the Protestants groups include Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodist among others. Others belong to other religious groups such as Muslims, Jews and Orthodoxy and they constitute about 4% of the population. Another 8% claims not to have any religion.

It is of great importance to note that the country’s constitution allows for freedom of religion and other rules that result in the free practice of religious beliefs. The law protects this right in all totality from abuse by either the government or the private sector. The law also forbids religious favoritism, though the Catholic Church enjoys a privileged status and gets special treatment from time to time. Also, note that the state and the Church are separate and that the government representatives normally attend Catholic ceremonies and important Protestant and Jewish events.

Read on to find out some of the main religious beliefs in this beautiful country.

Catholicism in Chile

Kirche Catholic ChurchThe Roman Catholic Church in the country is a section of the international Roman Catholic Church which is under the divine guidance of the Pope in Rome and the Episcopal Conference of Chile. By 2012, about 66.6% of the total population aged 15 years and above claimed to practice Catholicism. The country currently has 5 archdioceses, 18 dioceses, 2 regional prelatures, an apostolic vicariate, a military ordinariate, and a personal prelature.

This religious belief was introduced in Chile by Franciscan and Dominican priests who accompanied colonialists from Spain back in the 16th century. The first parish was built in 1547 and a diocese in 1561. By 1650, most of the locals in the central and northern areas of the country had been converted to Catholicism. There was some bit of conflict between the state and the clergy in the 20th century as the government tried to control church administration. The two were, however, separated in 1925 by a constitutional reform and by then about 90% of the population claimed to be Catholic.

During the colonial era, it was the church that was tasked with education and as a result, there are presently six Catholic higher learning institutions in Chile. These are the Catholic University of the North, Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, University of Valparaíso, Catholic University of the Maule, and Temuco Catholic University.

The government also celebrates some Catholic Holy Days as state holidays. These include the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Feast of the Virgin of Carmen, All Saints Day, the Feast of the Assumption, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Christmas, and Good Friday.

Protestantism in Chile

Chile is one of the countries in Latin America with the biggest Protestant population. Protestants account for about 15% of the country’s population. This religious belief was introduced in the country in the 1840s when the government of Chile supported the migration of settlers from Germany to the southern lake region. Most of these settlers were from the Protestant areas of Germany. This, therefore, led to the first Protestant services in the country, especially Lutheran and Anglican. These practices were simply accepted by the government, but in 1865, a new policy explaining the religious article of the constitution that affirmed Catholicism as the country’s official faith allowed private practice by denominations that were not Catholic.

Towards the end of the 19th century, more Protestant missionaries of different denominations, starting with the Presbyterians, arrived in Chile. These continued to serve the immigrant societies but they also made efforts to acquire concerts from Chile. The Anglicans built missions which are still in operation today among the Mapuche. American Methodists also established schools among them the renowned Santiago College which were open to middle and upper-class children from Chile mostly girls. The Methodist church was, therefore, able to convert more locals especially parents who wanted different options to Catholic education.

In the year 1909, a section of the new Methodist group that had taken up charismatic customs broke away from the central missionary body and formed the Pentecostal Methodist Church which split in 1934 when the Evangelical Pentecostal Church was established. These two became the main Pentecostal factions in the country.

About 90% of the Protestants in Chile are Pentecostal. The rest belong to Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Wesleyan, Reformed Evangelical, and Methodist denominations. Other Protestants belong to the Seventh-Day Adventist and their population has been estimated to be roughly 126,814.

Islam in Chile

Mosque in La TiranaIt is estimated that the total number of Muslims in Chile is about 4,000 which represents 0.1% of the country’s population. It is acknowledged that in the year 1854, two Turks lived in Chile. This state was repeated again in the surveys of 1865 and 1875. Nobody knows the origin of these two Turks. What is known is that they were citizens of a country of the Ottoman Empire. Their arrival was followed two years later by the first main wave of Muslims in the country which started in 1856 as a result of Arab migrants from the Ottoman kingdom regions which consisted of present day Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.  They established the Sociedad Unión Musulmana and in the year 1988, the establishment of the mosque of Santiago de Chile was started by Sheikh Taufiq Rumie'. The mosque was completed in 1989 and was opened by a Malaysian Prince in 1996.

Towards the end of the 1980s, a lot of local people from Chile had converted to Islam and their number increased when the mosque was completed. Other mosques such as the Madrasa in Iquiqie and the Bilal mosque were built in 1997 by traders from Pakistan. These came to completion in 1999.

Presently, there are a few Islamic organizations in the country. These include the Muslim Society of Chile and As-Salam Mosque in Santiago, the Mohammed VI Cultural Center located in Coquimbo, The Bilal Mosque in Iquique, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Chile, and the Community Islam Sunni Chile.

The Jewish Faith in Chile

The presence of Jewish faith in Chile is as old as the country’s history. Over the years, the country has received many groups of Jewish migrants. Presently, the Jewish society in Chile comes from the migrations that happened in the 19th and 20th centuries. Most of them are of the Ashkenazi origin. Chile is also home to the third biggest Jewish society in South America.

The first Jewish immigrants came to Chile back in the 1840s after inquisition was abolished in the country. They settled in Valparaíso and they were from Europe mostly France and Germany. Most of them came in small groups but it was in the 20th century when began coming in large numbers. Other Jews came from Macedonia and Monastir and settled in Temuco in southern Chile.

The Jewish community in Chile has grown over the years and it has more than 30,000 members. Most of them are located in Santiago, Concepción, Temuco, La Serena, Iquique, Valparaíso, Valdivia, and Viña del Mar.

Hinduism in Chile

Staue of Mary in cementaryThis faith was introduced in Chile by a number of Indians who arrived in the country in the 1920s. More of them immigrated to Chile some 30 years ago. They not only came from India, but also from Panama, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

The Hindu community consists of about 650 people in the whole country and most of them belong to the Sindhi society and practice trade. Most of them have married women from Chile thus converting them to their religious faith.

The Hindu community has built a temple in Punta Arenas. The community also resides in Santiago which is the capital city of Chile, and also in Iquique.

Buddhism in Chile

This religious faith was first introduced to Chile by the Japanese migrants of Brazil coming to the nation. The Buddhist community in Chile is very small but it has increased a lot from the 1990s. This is evident from the fact that there are 15 various Buddhist centers in the country, especially of the Tibetan and Zen schools.

Bahá'í Faith in Chile

This faith began with references to Chile in Bahá'í writings in the year 1916, and the first Bahá'ís visiting in 1919. A fully operational society was not established in Chile until 1940 with the arrival of organized founders coming from the United States of America. They were able to find converts in Chile and acquired a sovereign state society in 1963. In 2002, this society was singled out for the construction of the first Bahá'í Temple in South America which is still being prosecuted by the society.

As of 2007, the number of Bahá'ís in Chile was estimated at 6,000 by the government of the United States.

Members of this faith are mostly involved in socio-economic development activities such as giving women freedom and promoting female education. They have expressed their concerns practically by building schools, clinics, and agricultural houses.

Besides the religious beliefs mentioned above, some of the people in Chile practice Judaism. Others practice atheism or agnosticism.