MONTEVIDEO, Nov 4 - Pope Leo begins his first trip to Latin America as pontiff on Friday, embarking on an 11-day journey across a region that remains the world's largest Catholic stronghold but where Catholic identity is steadily shrinking even as belief in God remains strong.

Coming weeks after the 71-year-old pontiff's lung cancer surgery, the ambitious itinerary from November 6-17 remains unchanged, the Vatican said. It is one of the most demanding overseas tours by a Catholic leader in decades. The trip takes him some 31,000 km (19,260 miles) from secular Uruguay to Argentina, homeland of his predecessor Pope Francis, before heading to Peru, where he spent years as a missionary and bishop, eventually becoming a citizen.

Leo will spend two days in Uruguay, three in Argentina and nearly a week in Peru, where he will celebrate outdoor Masses expected to draw millions, address political leaders, join youth vigils and reach remote Andean communities by helicopter.

Latin America remains the world’s largest Catholic region in absolute numbers. Yet the continent the Chicago-born pope is returning to is markedly less Catholic than the one he first encountered as a missionary decades ago. The Church has been losing ground to fast-growing evangelical denominations, more progressive social attitudes and individualized forms of worship.

A Pew survey in 2024 of six of the most populous Latin American countries found that in all those nations fewer people were identifying as Catholic compared to a decade ago. Around one-fifth of adults in each country said they were raised Catholic but had left the Church, the poll found.

"We have seen a decline in all of the countries that we surveyed in 2024," said Kirsten Lesage, an associate researcher at the Pew Research Center, a non-profit that monitors faith worldwide. “There are fewer people identifying (as Catholic)." But, she added: "The region is still very religious and they're very religious by a variety of standards." TIKTOK HAIL MARY Rev. Jorge Reinaudo, a parish priest in Córdoba, Argentina, one of the cities on Pope Leo's itinerary, has spent nearly a decade building a social media following.

He posts humorous sketches to his 800,000 followers across different platforms, gently poking fun at biblical stories and trends like superstitions aimed at helping Argentina's soccer team win the World Cup.

Growing numbers of younger people are seeking spirituality through retreats, silence and even Buddhist- or Hindu-inspired practices, often blending them with traditional Christian elements such as rosaries and holy water, he said in an interview.

"Not belonging to a religion does not mean people lack faith; it means they live out their faith in their own way," Reinaudo said.

Belief in God remains exceptionally high in Latin America compared to other global regions, even among the growing numbers of people who are unaffiliated with a religion, according to the Pew survey.

That distinction suggests the Catholic Church's challenge is less disbelief than changes in worship habits and people keen to build their own spiritual identities outside traditional institutions, according to religious leaders and researchers interviewed by Reuters. RAPID SOCIAL CHANGE Marverick Ruben Mendoza Oseguera, a 31-year-old accountant in Honduras, came across Reinaudo on social media while following Argentine Catholic musicians. Raised Catholic, he said he became critical of organized religion after witnessing troubling behavior in church communities, including violence against women and clergy who appeared to protect abusers.

"Experiences like these eroded the trust and faith of many young people, including me," he said.

In all six countries Pew found adults 50 and older were more likely than those aged 18 to 34 to identify as Catholic.

Oseguera attends a weekly online Eucharistic adoration service to help manage anxiety, finding comfort in the ritual even though he no longer identifies as Catholic. "It feels more like spending time with a close friend," he said.

Catholic decline has coincided with a period of rapid social change across Latin America, as countries expanded rights ranging from abortion and euthanasia to same-sex marriage. However, Miguel Pastorino, a professor at Uruguay's Catholic University who studies the philosophy of religion, cautioned against attributing the Church's losses directly to those shifts, saying a broader culture of individual choice has also reshaped how people approach religion globally.

"There's a growing trend toward 'à la carte' religiosity, in which people create their own spiritual menu, without feeling the need to to any particular institution," he said.

Evangelical groups have also made inroads among urban working populations in Latin America and are especially strong in Brazil, where nearly 27% of people identify as evangelical Christians.

Pentecostalism, the fastest-growing branch, was introduced to Latin America by US missionaries a century ago. Today, most towns are home to a Pentecostal chapel, where song and prayer often blare over loudspeakers onto the street.

"They (Pentecostals) go straight to personal testimony, like the early Church did," Pastorino said. "When the Catholic Church goes into poor neighborhoods, it often does a great deal of social work, but very little evangelization." However, events such as a papal visit can help strengthen Catholic identity, he said.

Pablo Coimbra, a Uruguayan parish priest at Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Montevideo's Casavalle neighborhood, where the pope plans to visit on his second day, said the pontiff's impending arrival was already having an effect. More people were participating in Masses at his church. Demand for baptisms and holy communion was also rising, he added.

"The pope's visit has perhaps awakened a memory, something deep in people's hearts regarding faith and belonging to the Church," Coimbra said.