The people in Latin America are predominantly Roman Catholics. This is because of the Spanish Colonialism that altered the religious beliefs of the people. (Sigmund, 2004)
The Roman Catholic Church has played an important role in managing national affairs within each Latin American nation. Communal practices such as education, registration of births and deaths, marriage ceremonies and the control of cemeteries were carried out by the Church.
However, in our present day and age, such activities have been secularized. Even so, Roman Catholics continue to hold a staggering 85% of the total population in Latin America (BBC News, 2005). This implies that the Roman Catholic Church still has much influence in the continent.
In addition, young Latin American liberals have recognized that the Roman Catholic Church is often more advanced in its social thought and action than some leading politicians, hence resulting in it becoming the forerunning of social progresss. (Subramaniam, 1992).