The Catholic Church arrived in Brazil with the first Portuguese settlers, and quickly established itself as a key social institution of the colonial period. However, the Church did not reach the level of institutional strength that it enjoyed in much of Spanish America, and quickly suffered from a chronic shortage of priests, leading to the proliferation of vibrant popular and syncretistic religious beliefs and practices. Following the Napoleonic Wars and the eventual establishment of an independent monarchy in Brazil, the ties between the Brazilian Church and state became increasingly close. However, this only reinforced the institutional weakness of the church, as it became dependent on the patronage of the Emperors and competed with Freemasonry for the favor of the court. At the same time, its declining influence in the everyday life of Brazilians grew more pronounced. The late 19th century witnessed the beginnings of a clerical reaction, as the Vatican began to reaffirm its authority and pushed for increasing centralization of the Church. This provoked a series of confrontations with the regime, which contributed to the weakening of the Empire, which was overthrown and replaced by a republic in 1889. Over the next few decades, the Church gradually moved toward a new relationship with the state, seeking to expand its influence among elites and to impose an orthodox Catholicism on society. The strengthening of the Brazilian state under Getulio Vargas, who ruled in one way or another from 1930-54, corresponded to the high-water mark of this type of interaction between Church and State.

The changes in the organization of the Brazilian Catholic Church during the first half of the 20th century set the stage for its radical transformation during the second. Increasing involvement in the education of elites led to the emergence of new and politically diverse movements among the laity, while attempts to assert more orthodox Catholicism among marginalized peoples increased awareness of the plight of peasants and Indians among the lower clergy and some bishops. Many clergy members and lay leaders thus supported the attempts at social and political reform that took place during the post-Vargas Republic (1954-64). However, growing unrest and fear of Communism led the Church hierarchy to endorse the military coup of 1964. Still, a few bishops and numerous priests, particularly in the poorer regions, strongly criticized the military government’s economic policies and human rights record. During the 1970s, the Catholic Church emerged as a key pro-democracy voice within civil society. Ecclesiastical Base Communities (CEBs), small groups of believers who focused on linking grassroots religious and secular change, spread throughout the countryside. These became the foundations of the so-called “popular church,” which assertively advocated social justice and became increasingly influential within the Church. By 1979, the Brazilian Church was the most progressive in Latin America, while managing to avoid many of the confrontations between radicals and conservatives that wracked other churches in the region. However, in the 1980s, with the gradual transition to democracy and the conservative turn in the Vatican, the “popular church” lost much of its strength. This trend continued over the following decades and was reinforced by the growing influence of evangelical Protestant churches and movements.

Brazilian society is extremely spiritual overall, with 97% of the population professing a belief in God. The relative weakness of the Church during the colonial and imperial periods made Brazil a fertile ground for the emergence and proliferation of various syncretistic religious practices, which blended elements of Christianity with other, particularly African, religions. Among the descendants of this long tradition, Spiritisim is the most prevalent today, as adherents account for up to 5% of the population. Protestantism, which has resisted syncretism more than other Christian churches, established a significant presence in Brazil during the first half of the 20th century and grew exponentially during the second half. Protestants accounted for fewer than 5% of the population until the 1960s, but by 2000 made up over 15% of those affiliated with a church. Pentecostals and charismatic groups account for the vast majority of this expansion. With their emphasis on personal salvation and strict moral codes as well as less ideological approach to politics, these groups have developed broad appeal, particularly among the booming urban migrant communities. The political consequences of this shift are still poorly understood, as the fragmentation of the Protestant community has weakened it as a vehicle for direct political action. Over the longer run, their development will probably have an important, if difficult to predict, effect on the cultural landscape of Brazil.