Pope celebrates Mass at Bicentennial Park

(7 Jul 2015) Pope Francis urged Latin Americans to channel the same urgency that brought them independence from Spain two centuries ago, to spreading the faith on a continent where Catholicism is losing souls to other religious movements, during his final Mass in Ecuador on Tuesday. The pope's words come at a time of changing religious landscapes across Latin America, including Ecuador and Bolivia, two of the three countries he's visiting. In Ecuador, 79 percent of the population identified as Catholic in 2014 compared to 95 percent in 1970, according to Pew Research Centre. In Bolivia, 77 percent were Catholic in 2014 compared to 85 percent in 1970. In both Andean countries, many Catholics have left the church for evangelical faiths such as Pentecostalism. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...