Roman Catholicism in Europe

The Roman Catholic Church is geographically centered in the Vatican City of Rome. About 35%[1] of the population of Europe today is Catholic, but only about a quarter of all Catholics worldwide reside in Europe. This is due in part to the movement and immigration at various times of largely Catholic European ethnic groups (such as as the Irish, Italians, Poles, Portuguese, and Spaniards) to continents such as the Americas and Australia. Furthermore, Catholicism has been spread outside Europe through both historical Catholic missionary activity, especially in South America, and the past colonization and conversion of native people by Catholic European countries, specifically the Spanish, Portuguese, French colonial and Belgian colonial empires, in regions such South America, the Caribbean, Central Africa and West Africa, and Southeast Asia.[2]

European Catholic organizations

See also

References

  1. ↑ PEW Report: Global Christianity
  2. ↑ "Number of Catholics on the Rise". Zenit News Agency. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.. For greater details on numbers of Catholics and priests and their distribution by continent and for changes between 2000 and 2008, see "Annuario Statistico della Chiesa dell'anno 2008". Holy See Press Office. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010. (in Italian)
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