From Catholic to Mormon: Why Latinos are joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

By Lauren Gilger


Tim Agne/KJZZ
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple in Salt Lake City.

Traditionally, Latinos have been associated with Catholicism. But for the past several decades, there’s been a trend of Latinos leaving the Catholic Church.

Some become evangelical, some leave religion altogether, and others joined a religion that looks very different from the Catholic Church: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sujey Vega is an assistant professor with the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict at Arizona State University, and she researches this phenomenon.

The Show spoke with her to learn what triggers it, and how it intersects with her personal experience as a lapsed Latina Catholic.

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