GCU 114

Religion in Argentina There are many religions in Argentina, but Roman Catholicism is the most dominate one. With about 91% o Argentina!s "o"ulation ollo#ing the Roman Catholicism $aith, that lea%es &% o the "o"ulation ollo#ing other religions. Catholicism came o%er rom 'uro"e in 1()* #hen the irst disco%eries o Argentina #ere made. When the irst "ermanent colony #as established on #hat is no# "resent day +uenos Aires in 1(&) Catholicism began to s"read urther to the rest o the nation. ,Globero%er, *)1)-1 '%en though the belo# "icture sho#s that the Agnostic Religion is second largest in Argentina, Argentina is the second largest nation in .atin America that has the largest /e#ish community. ,Weiner- *As #ith Roman Catholicism, /udaism also started in +uenos Aires. Argentina also has many 0uslims, as #ell as members o Russian, Gree1 and 2yrian 3rthodo4 churches and 5rotestant denominations.

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5ilgrimages are %ery "o"ular in Argentina culture. A 5ilgrimage is a 8ourney or search or moral or s"iritual signi icance. 9n Argentina s"iritualism and de%otion to the dead is engrained in society. 9t is %ery common or the Roman Catholics to go on such "ilgrimages. The one "o"ular "ilgrimage that ha""ens early is to the "o"ular site o .u8an. Thousands o "eo"le ma1e the tri" rom +uenos Aires on oot to .u8an to honor the 5atron 2aint o Argentina, the :irgin o .u8an. ,Argentour- 4 9n a small to#n a e# miles rom 2an /uan, called :allecito lies a "ilgrimage shrine o 6i unta Correa..ocal tradition tells that in the year 1&7( this area o Argentina #as embroiled in a ci%il #ar and that a young man named +audilio +usts #as orcibly ta1en to ight in the to#n o Rio8a. +audilio!s #i e, 0aria Antonia 6eolinda 2tra", #as le t alone in the %illage o 2an /uan. 0issing her husband she too1 her baby son and began her 8ourney rom 2an /uan to Rio8a, but died rom thirst and e4haustion along the #ay. A#hile later local %illagers sa# birds circling a small hill and ound the body o the dead #oman #ith her still li%ing son at her breast. The #oman #as buried and the tomb soon became the site o di erent miracles. 3%er the years the tomb #as mar1ed #ith a cha"el and it has since become a much %isited "ilgrimage shrine. ,0artin Gray, *)17-(

,0artin Gray, *)17-; +elo# are images o the most "o"ular religious sites in Argentina. $irst is the Tierra 2anta, it is the most "romising religious site in +uenos Aires to hold 1ids! attention. 9t is a theme "ar1 to resemble /erusalem about *,))) years ago. <e4t is the ChacaritaCemetary, it is the largest cemetery in Argentina. A lot o Argentina!s #ell 1no#n artists are buried there. The Cathedral o the 9mmaculate Conce"tion is one o the largest churches in .atin America. There is a to#er that house *( bron=e bells that ring to signal the hour on the hour..astly, the RecoletaCemetaryis the inal resting "lace or Argentina!s elite. 0as>ues are made rom granite and marble. ,0artine=?Carter, *)17-@

Tierra 2anta@

Chacarita

Cemetary@

Cathedral o the 9mmaculate Conce"tion@

Recoleta Cemetary@

Go%ernment and religion ha%e a good relationshi". The go%ernment in Argentina recogni=es the Christians! holidays and allo#s them to ta1e those days o , along #ith gi%ing the "eo"le that "ractice /udaism days o to celebrate their holidays. The go%ernment and the church ha%e not al#ays had a good relationshi" though. 0any still belie%e that the church and the state need to be se"arated more than it is. 9n the Argentine Constitution it states that the go%ernment su""orts Roman Catholics, but that there needs to be a com"lete se"aration o the state and the church. ,<elson, *)17-&

Re erences 1. Religious Aistory o Argentina. ,*)1), 0arch *9-. Globero%e. Retrie%ed 3ctober 7), *)17, rom htt"BCCglobero%e.comCargentinaCreligious?history?o ?argentinaC4(7 *. Weiner, R. ,*)17-. Argentina :irtual /e#ish Tour D /e#ish :irtual .ibrary. Argentina :irtual /e#ish Tour D /e#ish :irtual .ibrary. Retrie%ed 3ctober 7), *)17, rom htt"BCC###.8e#ish%irtuallibrary.orgC8sourceC%8#CArgentina.html 3. Argentina Religion. (2013). Argentina Religion. Retrieved 30 Oct. 2013, from http://www.argentour.com/en/argentina/argentina_religion.php 4. 2ources. ,*)17-. Argentina, Religion and 2ocial 5ro ile. Retrie%ed 3ctober 7), *)17, rom htt"BCC###.thearda.comCinternational6ataCcountriesCcountryE11E1.as" (. Gray, 0. ,*)17-. 6i unta Correa. Argentina. Retrie%ed 3ctober 7),*)17, rom htt"BCCsacredsites.comCamericasCargentinaCdi untaEcorrea.html ;. Gray, 0. ,*)17-. 6i unta Correa. Argentina. Retrie%ed 3ctober 7),*)17, rom htt"BCCsacredsites.comCamericasCargentinaCdi untaEcorrea.html 7. Martinez-Carter, K. (2013, May 13). Buenos Aires Most Spectacular Religious Sites. Fodor's Travel Guides. Retrieved October 30, 2013, from http://www.fodors.com/news/buenos-aires-most-spectacularreligious-sites-6770.html &. Nelson, G. (2013, March 27). Separation of Church and State: The Papacys Role in Argentine Politics. Separation of Church and State: The Papacy's Role in Argentine Politics. Retrieved October 30, 2013, from http://www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/separation-of-church-and-state-the-papacys-role-inargentine-politics/ 9.