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A majority of the population of Argentina is nominally Roman Catholic. About 2% are Protestant, and another 2% are Jewish. In the last decades, as in the rest of Latin America, there has also been a rise in Evangelical movements, which have mostly gathered converts from Catholicism in the lower classes. Although Jews only account for 2% of Argentina's population, Buenos Aires has the second largest population of Jewish people in the Americas, second only to New York City. Argentina also boasts the largest Muslim minority in Latin America (see Islam in Argentina).
Catholic practices (especially in the non-central areas) incorporate a great deal of syncretism; for example, religious festivals in the north-western provinces feature Catholic icons in (or along with) ancient Andean pagan ceremonies. The Pachamama worship is still widespread throughout Salta and Jujuy.
Legal Status
The Preamble of the Argentine Constitution reflects the deistic beliefs of many of the crafters, often influenced by ideas of the Freemasonry (when not Freemasons themselves). The statement of the Constitution's goals ends by "invoking the protection of God, source of all reason and justice".
The Constitution includes several references to religion. The 14th article, which summarizes the rights of the citizens, includes religious freedom: "All the inhabitants of the nation are entitled to the following rights: ... to freely profess their cult...". The 93rd article allows for the president and the vice-president taking office to swear their oath before Congress "respecting their religious beliefs".
The state grants the Roman Catholic Church special privileges to it, based on the second article of the Constitution:
- El Gobierno federal sostiene el culto católico, apostólico, romano.
- "The Federal Government supports the Apostolic Roman Catholic religion."