The Americas | Prophets of the ballot box

Evangelicals may soon rival Catholics in Latin America

A fifth of the region are evangelical. Many now believe the “prosperity gospel”

A youth is lowered into a pool of water at an evangelical church (Assembleia de Deus dos Ultimos Dias) during a mass baptism service.
Image: Panos
|MARABÁ AND SALVADOR

The cathedral of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Salvador, a city in Brazil’s poor north-east, is so large that it can be seen miles away. Built in the style of a neoclassical temple, it could be a giant conference centre or a casino. On a recent Friday afternoon its annex, which can hold up to 3,000 people, was packed. Such success hints at an increasingly important force in Latin American politics.

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Evangelicals may soon rival Catholics”

From the April 8th 2023 edition

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