El Salvador

The Central American country of El Salvador, one of the smallest nations in the Americas, is among the least diverse religiously. Although most Salvadorans are Catholic, a growing Protestant population and changes within Catholicism have transformed the nation's religious profile in recent decades.

Religious life in El Salvador, as in most of Latin America, has been dominated by the Roman [Page 337]Catholic Church since colonization by Spain. Until the 1960s, the vast majority of Salvadorans practiced a form of syncretic popular Catholicism that centered on the saints and the Virgin Mary. The country's patron saint is Jesus, El Salvador del Mundo (“The Savior of the World”). Under the leadership of Luis Chávez y Gonzalez, archbishop of San Salvador from 1938 to 1977, the Salvadoran church began modernizing even before the second Vatican Council (1962–1965). Following Chávez, Oscar Romero's 3 years as archbishop (1977–1980) were marked by intensifying political radicalization and violence. Progressive Catholicism influenced by liberation theology spread farther in El Salvador than in most of Latin America. Romero was nominated for canonization 10 years after his assassination in 1980. Presently, Salvadoran Catholicism includes not only popular and progressive variants but also a large Charismatic movement that enjoys significant institutional support.

The first Protestant missionaries arrived in El Salvador from the United States in 1915. Although it is hard to know exactly how large El Salvador's current Protestant population is, most estimates place it at around 25% of the populace, mostly Pentecostal. In addition to Pentecostal groups such as the Assemblies of God, several mainline Protestant churches have a strong presence in El Salvador, including the American Baptists, Episcopalians, and Lutherans, who have been leaders in social and political reform.

El Salvador's relative lack of religious diversity stems partly from the fact that it has experienced little immigration due to political instability and high population density. Furthermore, having no Atlantic coast, the nation lacks the vibrant Afro-Caribbean population present in other Central American nations. That said, El Salvador is still far from homogeneous religiously. There are small populations of Asian and Middle Eastern descent, and some important national leaders have come from these communities. Less than 2% of the population embrace Judaism and Islam, although there are small, active communities, primarily in the capital city, San Salvador. There is also a small but significant indigenous revitalization, especially in the western part of the country, with both cultural and religious elements.

While few people have immigrated to El Salvador, as many as 2 million Salvadorans have left the country, most to North America. They have taken with them distinctive values and practices, including both liberationist Catholicism and Pentecostal Protestantism.