Religion

Religion

Front entrance of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of San Juan Bautista: Many religious beliefs now are represented in the island

The Roman Catholic Church has historically been the dominant religion in Puerto Rico since the Spanish colonial era. The first dioceses in the Americas, including the first diocese of Puerto Rico, were authorized by Pope Julius II in 1511.^[167] One Pope, John Paul II, visited Puerto Rico in October 1984. All municipalities in Puerto Rico have at least one Catholic church, most of which are located at the town center or "plaza".

Protestantism, which was suppressed under the Spanish regime, has spread under United States rule, making modern Puerto Rico interconfessional. The first Protestant church, Holy Trinity Church in Ponce, was established by the Anglican diocese of Antigua in 1872.^[168] In 1872, German settlers in Ponce founded the Iglesia Santísima Trinidad, an Anglican Church, the first non-Roman Catholic Church in the entire Spanish Empire in the Americas.^[169][170]

An Eastern Orthodox community, the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos/ St. Spyridon's Church is located in Trujillo Alto, and serves the small Orthodox community. The congregation represents Greeks, Russians, Serbians, Bulgarians, Americans, Moldavians, and Puerto Ricans.^[171]

In 1940, Juanita Garcia Peraza founded the Mita Congregation, the first religion of Puerto Rican origin.^[172] Taíno religious practices have been rediscovered/reinvented to a degree by a handful of advocates. African slaves brought and maintained various ethnic African religious practices associated with different peoples; in particular, the Yoruba beliefs of Santería and/or Ifá, and the Kongo-derived Palo Mayombe have adherence among a few individuals who practice some form of African traditional religion.

In 1952, a handful of American Jews established the island's first synagogue in the former residence of William Korber, a wealthy Puerto Rican of Jewish German descent, which was designed and built by the Czech architect Antonin Nechodoma.^[173][174] The synagogue, called Sha'are Zedeck, hired its first rabbi in 1954.^[175] Puerto Rico has the largest Jewish community in the Caribbean, numbering 3,000, and is the only Caribbean island in which the Conservative, Reform and Orthodox Jewish movements all are represented.^[175][176]

In 2007, there were about 5,000 Muslims in Puerto Rico, representing about 0.13% of the population^[177][178] Eight mosques are located throughout the island, with most Muslims living in Rio Piedras.^[179][180]

In 2011, the 26,546 Jehovah's Witnesses represented about 0.72% of the population, with 329 congregations.^[181]

The Padmasambhava Buddhist Center, whose followers practice Tibetan Buddhism, has a branch in Puerto Rico.^[182]