Cardinal Chomali warns of a profound faith crisis in Chile, urging urgent missionary renewal as Catholic identity and vocations plummet.
Newsroom (16/03/2026 Gaudium Press) In a solemn reflection on the state of Christianity in Chile, Cardinal Fernando Chomali, Archbishop of Santiago, has issued a pastoral letter that reads as both diagnosis and call to arms. Entitled “Crisis and Mission”, the letter—released on March 14, 2026—lays bare the sharp collapse in Catholic affiliation, religious practice, and vocational commitment over the last two decades.
Chomali, citing data from the 2025 Bicentennial Survey conducted by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, confronts what he calls a “very discouraging” portrait of national faith. In 2006, 70 percent of Chileans identified as Catholic. By 2025, that figure had fallen to 44 percent—a drop of twenty-six points in less than a generation. If the current trajectory continues, projections suggest that by 2035 the proportion will shrink to just 34 percent.
A Shrinking Church and Fading Traditions
Beyond mere membership, the archbishop’s letter details a deep erosion in both belief and practice. Overall belief in God has declined from 90 percent to 70 percent, while many parishes now risk becoming, in Chomali’s words, “mere dispensers of religious services” rather than vibrant communities of faith. Priests, once spiritual guides, are increasingly perceived as “functionaries of the sacred.”
Signs of religious disengagement are visible in sacramental life as well. Baptisms, processions, and traditional devotions such as the Marian month have diminished sharply. The decline in clergy has compounded the issue: in 2010, Chile had 255 diocesan seminarians; today, there are only 77. “There are already many parishes without a permanent priest,” Chomali warns, invoking the stark comparison of a German colleague—where once there were five priests per parish, now there are five parishes per priest.
A Disconnected Generation
Perhaps most concerning to the cardinal is the growing alienation of Chile’s youth. In 2006, only 12 percent of Chileans described themselves as non-religious; by 2025, that number had tripled to 36 percent among young people. Even those raised in Catholic homes seem disinclined to carry the faith forward. In 2013, 19 percent of Catholic parents showed little interest in passing on their beliefs; by 2024, that figure had soared to 57 percent.
Chomali connects these trends to what he calls “an epidemic of loneliness and existential emptiness.” Citing the 2025 SENDA Youth and Well-being Survey, he highlights that 33 percent of young people consider themselves failures, 44 percent believe they are “good for nothing,” and 62 percent report recent feelings of loneliness. “Young people without dreams, without ideals, and without reasons to live represent a failure of society,” he writes—a haunting indictment of a generation adrift.
Searching for the Roots of Disaffection
The letter’s analysis is unsparing in its search for causes. Chomali identifies the cult of individual autonomy and subjectivity as central to the crisis—a worldview that erodes community and religious identity alike. He links this cultural shift to declining marriage rates, fewer children, and a vanishing sense of vocation to both family and priesthood. Lifelong commitments, he argues, have “lost their meaning” in contemporary Chile.
No diagnosis, however, would be complete without confronting internal wounds. The archbishop openly acknowledges that abuse scandals within the Church have “profoundly” damaged trust and legitimacy. He calls these events “a traumatic chapter for everyone,” echoing the Second Vatican Council’s recognition that much modern disbelief stems from “the negative witness we Catholics ourselves give.”
From Crisis to Mission
Yet for all its sobering statistics, “Crisis and Mission” is not an exercise in despair. Chomali explicitly rejects resignation—“I don’t believe that the absence of faith is part of God’s plan”—and equally dismisses empty activism. Instead, he urges a rediscovery of what he terms the Church’s “missionary soul.” Evangelization, he insists, must not be a side project but the beating heart of Catholic life.
He calls for a renewed focus on Jesus Christ as the axis of all ministry and warns that reducing Catholicism to “a mere moral code” has done “enormous damage.” The way forward, he proposes, lies in deep spiritual renewal: uplifting Sunday celebrations, a constructive presence both online and in daily life, greater lay participation, and fostering a truly synodal culture of shared responsibility.
Recalling the January Consistory’s emphasis on evangelization as a “primary urgency,” Chomali invokes the enduring challenge of Saint John Paul II: without “renewed zeal, new methods, and new expressions,” the Church’s message risks becoming irrelevant in a changing world.
Faith as Resistance
The letter closes on a note of hope, addressed to Chile’s remaining faithful—who, despite losses, still represent nearly half of the nation. The archbishop urges Catholics not to see themselves as a dwindling remnant but as “a significant number” capable of steadfast witness. “God trusts in us,” he reminds them, calling believers to become “true heroes” of faith in their families and communities.
In the stark light of statistics, Cardinal Chomali’s pastoral letter is also a moral summons. Amid the quiet exodus of believers, he sees an opportunity for rebirth—a call for Chile’s Catholics to move from comfort to mission, from complacency to conviction.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Infocatholica
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