Catholic Church in Panama

The Catholic Church in Panama is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Panama Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Pope in Rome.

Part of a series on the
Catholic Church by country
Distribution of Catholics around the world
Africa
Asia
Middle East
Europe
North America
Oceania
South America
icon Catholicism portal

There are around 3.549 million Catholics in Panama, representing about 79% of the population[1] and the country is divided into six dioceses, including one archdiocese. In addition, there is a Territorial Prelature and an Apostolic Vicariate.

The Diocese of Panama is thought to be the oldest in the Americas. It was set up in 1514, with the arrival of Franciscan missionaries.

The Catholic Church in Panama has favoured status, though all religions are free; Catholic instruction in public schools is mandatory, but exemptions are allowed.[2]

In 2020, 431 priests served across 200 parishes.[3]

See also

References
  1. Latinobarometro, Opinion Publica Latinoamericana, Enero 2018.
  2. US State Dept 2022 report
  3. Catholics and Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-08
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.