What's New

A survey by the Pew Research Center places the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) toward the high end of religious commitment in the world, with more than 80% of respondents reporting that religion is very important in their lives.1 Yet a visitor who relied only on sightings of religious art, shrines, statues, paintings, or religious references on businesses or outside homes for evidence that Catholic practice is important might not have the same impression 1Jonathan Evans, “ Where is the most religious place in the world? ,” Pew Research Center, published August 9, 2024.

Families in the Democratic Republic of Congo are large, with an average of almost 6 children each. The demographics of the D.R.C. are the inverse of most developed countries: There are few elderly people—life expectancy is 59 years—and the majority of the population is under age 24. Young Congolese engage with the Church in a wide variety of ways. Catholic schools educate most of the population and are likely the most significant institutional source of formation. Catholic parishes sponsor groups for young people like the Xaverians and the Scouts. Young people also have opportunities to serve

One persistent topic of interest for the Catholics & Cultures site’s comparative research is how Catholics in various cultural contexts are alike or different in their relationship to the Virgin Mary and the saints . In different contexts, Mary and the saints assume more or less central importance in typical Catholics’ prayer lives, and even where they might be equally significant, their importance can manifest differently. Mary can be perceived in different ways, and so can the saints, who might primarily be perceived as miracle workers, patrons, or role models. Belief in God is remarkably

Kinshasa is home to a wide variety of lay Catholic groups that function through local parishes. These groups include the Legion of Mary, prayer groups devoted to the Sacred Heart, basic ecclesial communities that each have a neighborhood chapel or meeting place, charismatic renewal groups, “Christian family” groups for couples and their children, choirs (several of them in most parishes–one parish reported having nine choirs with about 800 members), and a handful of groups for young peoples’ formation . One goal for research on Catholics & Cultures is to represent the variety of places, not

One of the most remarkable facets of Congolese Catholic life is a liturgy developed specifically for worship in a post-colonial Congolese cultural context.1 1In addition to the published sources cited here, these articles are based on interviews and research in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from March 24 to April 7, 2024 at eight parishes: la Cathedrale de Notre Dame du Congo, Reine des Apôtres, St. Alphonse, Ste. Anne, St. Joseph, St. Pierre, St. Raphaël, and Sacré Coeur. Thanks to all of the parishes who welcomed me to attend and to video, and to those who were willing to

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which covers a central portion of the African continent just below the equator, is Africa’s second-largest country by land area and the fourth-largest by population. Its territory incorporates people from more than 200 ethnolinguistic groups, each with distinctive cultural traditions. Though estimates of its Catholic population size vary, the DRC is home to the largest Catholic population in Africa and the seventh-largest in the world.1 1The Pew/Templeton survey cited in the chart on the Catholics & Cultures heading page for the DRC claims that 30.1

Any attempt to describe Indian Catholic life in broad terms runs up against the genuine diversity of a country misperceived by many foreigners to be culturally and linguistically monolithic. The Northeast region, primarily bounded by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and China, yet linked to the rest of India by a narrow land bridge, is one place where India’s diversity is particularly apparent. The Northeast region not only stands out culturally, linguistically, and religiously from “mainland” India but is also incredibly diverse within. It is the only part of India to have states that are

Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh are states in north-central India. Uttar Pradesh, home most famously to the Taj Mahal, is home to 241 million people. It was once a seat of the Mughal Empire, but today it is 80% Hindu and is known as a fountainhead of Hindu culture. The population primarily speaks Hindi dialects, and there are significant numbers of Bhojpuri and Urdu speakers. Our articles on Uttar Pradesh thus far highlight the Matridham Ashram . In Jharkhand, most of the population of 33 million people lives in rural areas, much of it taken over for mining by large interests from outside the

While officially secular, India is one of the most publicly religious countries on the planet. Nearly 80% of the population is Hindu, and Hinduism has made the most evident and profound impact on the culture there. But India is extremely pluralistic, and its religious vibrancy – in all forms – is put on public view in vivid color. Catholicism continues to be influenced by the many other religions that thrive there. Catholic life in India is especially oriented to devotional practice, in ways that draw from Hindu, Syrian, colonial Portuguese, and contemporary Catholic practices. India is also

Tamil Nadu, “Tamil country,” a state in the south-easternmost part of India, is home to 72 million people whose native language is Tamil. The state is about 6% Christian, according to the 2011 census. Latin-rite Catholics are said to be the largest of the Christian groups. In cities like Chennai, Catholic churches and institutions are quite prominent. Local tradition claims that the Apostle Thomas preached in Tamil Nadu and was martyred on a hill in Chennai known as St. Thomas Mount. Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Catholic descendants of the St. Thomas Christians live in Tamil Nadu today. The