A surge of evangelicals in Spain, fueled by Latin Americans

By ALBERTO ARCE
Associated Press

SALAMANCA, Spain (AP) — The Catholic church has been the dominant religious force in Spain for centuries. It’s still the largest denomination by far in terms of numbers. But there’s a surge of energy among Spain’s growing population of evangelical Protestants as attendance at Catholic churches shrinks. There are more than 900,000 Protestants in Spain by the latest government count. And a large portion of them are immigrants from Latin America. They flock to lively and music-filled evangelical services in improvised churches. Often the venue is a former industrial building. Less than two-thirds of Spaniards now define themselves as Catholics. And most of them say they are not actively practicing the faith.