Hispanics bringing fiesta spirit to church

U.S. Hispanics view religious and political life as intertwined, often worship in ethnic congregations and embrace a spirit-filled, charismatic style of Christianity, a new survey says.

The trends cross Roman Catholic and Protestant lines and signal significant shifts in the U.S. religious landscape, considering the explosive growth of the Hispanic population, according to the survey released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Hispanic Center.

When it comes to political loyalties, religion trumps ethnicity: Hispanic Catholics, who make up two-thirds of the Hispanic population, are solidly Democratic. But born-again or Evangelical Hispanics, at 15 percent of the Hispanic population and rising, favor Republicans, though by a much narrower margin.

The bilingual survey involved 4,600 interviews from August to October last year and is billed as one of the most detailed looks ever at Hispanics and U.S. public life. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

The survey also found that 54 percent of Hispanic Catholics identified themselves as charismatic, compared to about 12 percent of non-Hispanic Catholics.

Though definitions differ, charismatics generally emphasize an intense personal experience with God and believe the Holy Spirit can work through speaking in tongues, healing and prophecy.

Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, said this brand of Christianity, mostly associated with Evangelicals, attracts Catholics who don't feel a strong connection with God through the traditional Mass.

"This is introducing a new way to worship, a new way of being the church," Lugo said. "You could call it bringing the fiesta spirit into the Catholic church."

Lugo said Catholic leaders will be challenged to incorporate clapping, shouting and even speaking in tongues into worship, a potential point of conflict in an institution that cherishes tradition. Those issues will be brought into relief next month when Pope Benedict XVI visits Brazil, the world's most populous Catholic country, where Pentecostals are making inroads.

The embrace of charismatic Christianity has not turned Catholics into Pentecostal Protestants, however. The survey found charismatic Catholics are even more likely to pray the rosary, go to confession or serve in their parishes, suggesting a strengthening of Catholic identity.