The Philippines has registered the most number of baptized Catholics worldwide based on the latest data from the Vatican.
Citing the Statistical Yearbook of the Church (SYC) 2020, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles John Brown said 1,603,283 million Filipinos were baptized in the country in the said period.
He noted this was higher compared to those baptized in Mexico (1,537,710), Brazil (1,126,152) and even in the entire Europe (1,533,666).
Brown lauded the latest figures, which he said showed how the country continues to be one of the bastions of Christianity worldwide five centuries after it was introduced to the faith.
“I am glad to share that the Philippines has the highest number of baptisms in 2020 compared to other places in the world. A living testament of faith in the 500 years of Catholicism in the country,” Brown said in an interview with Church-run Radio Veritas on Sunday.
To note, the country also registered 1.6 million baptisms in 2019, specifically for children under the age of 7.
But for the overall number of baptized, which includes both children and adults, it ranked third worldwide with 89 million, next only to Brazil, which had the most number of baptized at that time with 177 million and Mexico with 115.5 million.
According to an article from the Catholic News Agency, the 2020 edition of the Pontifical Yearbook as well as the SYC showed there were already 1.36 billion Catholics worldwide.
About half or 48 percent of these Catholics are based in the Americas.
Image credits: Roy Domingo