Roman Catholicism in Colombia

The Catholic Church in Colombia is currently organized into 13 ecclesiastical provinces, subdivided into 13 archdioceses and 52 dioceses total, given at List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Colombia. There are over 120 different religious orders, institutes, and lay organizations running hundreds of primary and secondary schools, hospitals, clinics, orphanages, colleges, and 8 universities, the best known being Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (in Cali) and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (in Bogotá), both Jesuit universities. There are 74 dioceses and other territorial jurisdictions.

The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) does not collect religious statistics, and accurate reports are difficult to obtain. However, based on various studies and a survey, about 90% of the population adheres to Christianity, the majority of which (70.9%) are Roman Catholic, while a significant minority (16.7%) adhere to Protestantism (primarily Evangelicalism).

Catholicism was introduced in 1508. Two dioceses were organized in 1534. There was appreciable Church growth by the mid-17th century, in spite of the variety of Indian languages, government interference, and competition among religious orders. Some persecution followed the declaration of independence from Spain, in 1819.

In today 's Colombia, and throughout Latin America, the Church was subject to state and served their purpose, throughout the colonial period and part of the nineteenth century. Therefore, he was responsible for founding and directing schools for the education of native elites ( San Bartolome, El Rosario and the University of St. Thomas ), create and sustain hospitals, help in the colonial bureaucracy and generally, as an instrument of Control and social cohesion.

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