On first trip as pope, Francis visits Brazil for World Youth Day
Out of the more than 120 million Catholics in Brazil, 32.6 million are between 15 and 29 years old.
NPR: Brazil’s Evangelicals a growing force in prayer, politics
Brazil’s Changing Religious Landscape
As young Catholics gather in Brazil, awaiting Pope Francis' visit in celebration of World Youth Day, an analysis of census data finds that the share of Brazil’s population that identifies as Catholic has been dropping steadily in recent decades. Over the same period, the percentage of Brazilians who belong to Protestant churches has been rising.
American Catholics want Pope Francis to address abuse scandal
As Pope Francis begins to address issues facing the church, Pew Research Center surveys of American Catholics finds that seven-in-ten think it's important for the church to address the sex-abuse scandal.
Most Muslims say they fast during Ramadan
A survey of more than 38,000 Muslims in 39 countries and territories found that a median of 93% say they fast during Ramadan.
Growth of the Nonreligious
About half of Americans say the growing number of “people who are not religious” is bad for American society. But a similar share say either that this trend is good or that it does not make much difference, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.
Canada’s Changing Religious Landscape
As Canadians prepare to celebrate Canada Day on July 1, a new Pew Research Center analysis of Canadian census and survey data finds that more Canadians belong to minority faiths than ever before. In addition, the number of Canadians with no religious affiliation has been rising, and attendance at religious services has been dropping.
Many American Catholics at odds with Vatican on homosexuality
Four-in-ten Catholics say there is "a lot" of conflict between their personal religious beliefs and homosexuality.
Arab Spring Adds to Global Restrictions on Religion
Pew Research’s fourth major report on global restrictions on religion finds that the share of countries with high or very high restrictions on religion rose from 37% in 2010 to 40% in 2011. The Middle East and North Africa continued to have the highest levels of restrictions in the year when much of the Arab Spring uprisings occurred, with social hostilities involving religion increasing markedly and government restrictions remaining high.
Iranians’ Views Mixed on Political Role for Religious Figures
As Iranians prepare to elect a new president on June 14, a Pew Research survey shows that just 40% think religious figures should play a large role in politics, while a quarter say religious figures should have some influence, and three-in-ten believe they should have little or no influence. But an overwhelming majority of Iranians say they back the use of Islamic law.
