ABSTRACT
A decade ago Pope John Paul II warned the Catholic leadership of Latin America of an "invasion of sects" within their borders. The pontiff was reacting to the tens of millions of Brazilians, Chileans, Argentines, Costa Ricans, and Guatemalans who have left the Catholic Church and the Catholic identity of their ancestors and converted to evangelical Protestantism since 1970. Both the depth and the breadth of this phenomenon are historic. When an individual leaves the Church in Latin America to become an evangélico (Protestant), he or she not only leaves a cultural legacy that spans five centuries but also rejects the faith of loved ones, often resulting in ostracism and persecution from family and friends. Moreover, this very personal act commits the creyente (believer) to a lifestyle and world-view that is in stark contrast to Catholicism.
