The Conclave to determine the next Pope who will serve as the spiritual leader for Catholics worldwide is underway. Louisiana is an outlier when it comes to the large Catholic population in the state as contrasted with neighboring states. 26% of Louisiana adults surveyed by PEW Research Center identified as Catholic. When you look at surrounding states, only 4% of Mississippi residents identified as Catholic, only 8% of Arkansas residents, Texas came in closest at 23%.
Loyola Chaplain and Professor of Theology, Tom Ryan, says while those percentages stand out, they may be a bit misleading. While Louisiana definitely has a larger Catholic population overall, he says the entire Gulf Coast region is an outlier when it comes to the greater distribution of Catholics. “The Gulf Coast was settled by French, Spanish, and Acadian peoples. They brought with them their Catholic faiths, and that’s how it grew in the region,” Ryan illustrates.
While history is the reason behind the large number of Catholics here in Louisiana, Ryan doesn't expect things to change going forward even as ages and demographics switch. "Southern Louisiana will probably always have a strong Catholic culture and base. That's based both on traditional Catholic commitments but also the growing Spanish-speaking Catholic base, which will be an important part of Catholicism in south Louisiana moving forward," he goes on to emphasize.
