The Roman Catholic Church of Chile: a comprehensive description of the majority religious organization

A comprehensive description of the national Roman Catholic Church is presented on the example of one of the Latin American countries. Based on the synthesis of initial information and analytical processing of data presented on the official electronic web-sites of individual dioceses of the National Catholic Church of Chile, the main types of social activities of the majority religious institute of the country are revealed. The results prove the fact that despite the sharp decline in adherents of Catholicism in the population structure in recent decades, the Church remains an influential public institution that duplicates some functions of the state. Providing material support to the poor and vulnerable segments of the population, advisory assistance in the adaptation of immigrants, vocational training and retraining of those who need employment, conducting public educational and cultural events, etc. are highlighted among the types of social responsibility implemented by the Roman Catholic Church of Chile.

The territorial and administrative structure of the religious organization under consideration is reflected in detail. The coefficient of territorial concentration/diversification` is calculated. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that there is a high degree of unevenness in the placement of church parishes of the Roman Catholic Church of Chile within the country.