Church Faces Emerging-World Hurdles

By James Hookway
Wall Street Journal
February 24, 2013

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323549204578318951530108368.html

The Roman Catholic Church is contending with more than the aftermath of sexual-abuse scandals in Europe and North America as it prepares to select a new pope. Its authority is being questioned more frequently in the barrios and tower-blocks of developing-world strongholds like the Philippines, too.

Congregations in places such as Latin America, Africa and the Philippines now make up a majority of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. Often they are viewed as a bedrock of support for the institution as its influence in Europe and elsewhere continues to decline. But as economies around what used to be known as the Third World quickly grow and millions of people move to megacities such as São Paulo or Manila, once-faithful Catholics are beginning to look for more immediate answers to their day-to-day problems.

Across traditionally Catholic-dominated regions, Protestant evangelical groups have enjoyed explosive growth in popularity as Catholics have switched to a faith that they view as being more attuned to modern life in a quickly changing world. In Brazil, where evangelicals now make up over a fifth of the population compared with fewer than 4% four decades ago, preachers such as Edir Macedo use their own television networks and the Internet to preach about finding success as their country quickly grows. In Christian parts of Africa, too, evangelicals are gaining ground, now making up 10% of the population of the entire continent and providing a ready following for American pastors such as Rick Warren and Benny Hinn