South American evangelicals take over Madrid: a religious divide?
Hundreds of South American evangelicals fill Madrid's Plaza Mayor, warning of a religious divide opening up across Spain. An analysis of the phenomenon and its parallel with Brazil.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
South American evangelicals take over the Plaza Mayor: a warning of a divide opening up across Spain
On a recent Saturday, hundreds of evangelical worshippers of South American origin filled the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. Banners, chants and a clear message: "We are here, and this is a divide opening up across Spain." The image, spread on social media, has reignited the debate over the demographic and religious impact of immigration in Spain.
A presence growing on the back of immigration
According to available data, the evangelical community of Latin American origin has grown remarkably in recent years. Against the backdrop of the Catholic Church's crisis, these churches offer a message of prosperity and community that attracts many. The event in Madrid is no isolated incident; it is part of an expansion strategy that some analysts compare with the Brazilian phenomenon, where evangelicalism has overtaken Catholicism in social and political weight.
The parallel with Brazil and the economic factor
In Brazil, evangelicalism has not only changed the religious map, it has also influenced elections and policies. Bolsonaro's baptism in the Jordan was a symbolic gesture. In Spain, the growth of these churches also has an economic component: they collect euros, not reais, and their mobilising power keeps growing. Some participants in the discussion point out that if they managed to bend the political course in Brazil, in a smaller country like Spain the impact could be even faster.
With these ingredients, the divide announced in the Plaza Mayor may be the first warning of a deeper change. We will see it at the ballot box and in the streets.
Related discussions in the forum
On a recent Saturday, hundreds of evangelical worshippers of South American origin filled the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. Banners, chants and a clear message: "We are here, and this is a divide opening up across Spain." The image, spread on social media, has reignited the debate over the demographic and religious impact of immigration in Spain.
A presence growing on the back of immigration
According to available data, the evangelical community of Latin American origin has grown remarkably in recent years. Against the backdrop of the Catholic Church's crisis, these churches offer a message of prosperity and community that attracts many. The event in Madrid is no isolated incident; it is part of an expansion strategy that some analysts compare with the Brazilian phenomenon, where evangelicalism has overtaken Catholicism in social and political weight.
The parallel with Brazil and the economic factor
In Brazil, evangelicalism has not only changed the religious map, it has also influenced elections and policies. Bolsonaro's baptism in the Jordan was a symbolic gesture. In Spain, the growth of these churches also has an economic component: they collect euros, not reais, and their mobilising power keeps growing. Some participants in the discussion point out that if they managed to bend the political course in Brazil, in a smaller country like Spain the impact could be even faster.
With these ingredients, the divide announced in the Plaza Mayor may be the first warning of a deeper change. We will see it at the ballot box and in the streets.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (28 replies).
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