It's not 95% Catholic , it's 76% Catholic.
A lot of that is actually indigeonous-Catholicism. I.e. it's the result of 500 years of religeous colonialisation of the native populations and their pre-existing spiritual beliefs. This was historically, in part, characterised by combining and attempting to overwrite the pre colonial existing belief systems with Christian ones.
So, this 76% stat is more complex than first sight would suggest. It would be a pity to lack nuance and be ahistorical here.
After all, it's only been just over 100 years since other religions have been officially allowed again by the colonial regimes political institutions in Bolivia.
An important reason why the Catholic Church has so much power in Bolivia right now, is that they have the most economic power in the country due to centuries of 'bringing civilization and god' , while stripping the country of it's treasures.
What we are seeing today is related in many ways to this history.
See excerpt of a wiki article below, interesting reading. *
Bold added by me for emphasis
"Christianity had its roots in the Spanish conquest; priests accompanied the first military expeditions. The church's organization, personnel, and role in society were all defined early in the colonial era.
Pope Julius III created the La Plata bishopric in 1552; this was followed by those of
La Paz and
Santa Cruz early in the seventeenth century. A plethora of religious orders –
Franciscans,
Mercedarians,
Dominicans, and
Jesuits were the most prominent – joined diocesan priests in the colonial ministry. The clergy were largely of European origin. The few
mestizos who joined the ranks were usually admitted as lay brothers rather than priests.
The
patronato real (an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Spanish crown) gave the Spanish throne and, by extension, the colonial authorities significant powers in church affairs. Appointments of clergy and bishops normally required the approval of civil authorities. The relationship between church and state was mutual and intimate; each institution had great influence on the other's affairs. In a society where separation from the religious ministrations of the church was unthinkable, the church had great moral influence.
In addition,
the colonial church was an extremely wealthy institution. Religious organizations not only owned extensive tracts of land but also served as quasi-official moneylenders to the landed elite and high-ranking officeholders. By the end of the colonial era, a combination of money lending and shrewd real estate investments had made the church the dominant financial power in Bolivia.
IndependenceEdit
St. Francis Basilica, La Paz,
from 1700s
Independence in 1825 brought some changes to Bolivian church-state relations, though the Roman Catholic Church retained its status as the nation's sole religion. Except for a brief period during the 1870s, this pattern continued throughout the nineteenth century. At the same time, however, the new Bolivian government quickly asserted its primacy over the church. In 1826 President
Antonio José de Sucre Alcalá (1825–28) took control over the collection of church
tithes, closed all
monasteries with fewer than twelve persons, and seized church lands. These actions permanently weakened the church as a political force.
Further changes occurred in the twentieth century. In
1906 the government proclaimed religious toleration and permitted the establishment of non-Roman Catholic churches. In 1961 the government relinquished its right under the patronato nacional (the successor to the patronato real) to mediate in church affairs. No longer could the government have a voice in conciliar decrees, briefs, or bulls that the pope issued or play a role in the selection of high-ranking church officials. The Constitution of 1967 grants official status to the Roman Catholic Church but also guarantees the public exercise of all other religions.
Freed from direct government control, the Roman Catholic Church in the 1960s attempted to establish a more visible presence in Bolivian society. The country's bishops, organized into the Bolivian Bishops Conference (
Conferencia Episcopal Boliviana), issued pastoral letters condemning the living conditions of peasants and workers. The bishops established development centers, research organizations, and commissions to address these problems. Many priests, brothers, and sisters took a more direct political stance. The so-called miner priests – oblates assigned to parishes in mining communities – actively defended workers' rights. This experience led to the formation in 1968 of Church and Society in Latin America-Bolivia (
Iglesia y Sociedad en América Latina-Bolivia – ISAL-Bolivia). Employing a
Marxist analysis of society, ISAL-Bolivia endorsed
socialism as the only means of achieving
justice.
Continues...
