The dramatic decline of Catholic affiliation in Latin America has often been interpreted as evidence of secularization. Drawing on the 2026 Pew Research Center report, this paper challenges that conclusion by arguing that the region is not becoming less religious but more religiously plural. While Catholic identification has fallen sharply across six major countries, belief in God, prayer, and supernatural worldviews remain remarkably robust—even among the religiously unaffiliated.
Rather than signaling disenchantment, these patterns suggest the collapse of Catholic monopoly and the rise of post-institutional spiritual repertoires. Integrating secularization theory, religious economy models, and lived religion frameworks, the paper contends that Latin America exemplifies a distinct form of religious modernity characterized by institutional disaffection and spiritual diversification. By reframing Catholic decline as pluralization, the study positions Latin America as a critical site for rethinking global theories of religion and modernity.