A recent study from Argentina has shown a dramatic decline in the Church in Pope Francis’s homeland. The Conicet survey showed that 62.9 per cent of the population identified as Catholic, next to 76.5 per cent in a comparable 2008 study.
Even more striking shifts are seen in public attitudes towards the Church, with three quarters of respondents saying that the state should not give financial support to religion, and almost half saying that religion should not be taught in schools. These attitudes will influence the outcome of any attempt by the new left-wing government to liberalise the abortion law.
