Under Pope Francis, the College of Cardinals has become less European
Pope Francis’ picks for the College of Cardinals have tilted the leadership structure away from its historic European base and toward countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Pope Francis’ picks for the College of Cardinals have tilted the leadership structure away from its historic European base and toward countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Religiously unaffiliated people were harassed by governments, private groups or both in 27 countries in 2020.
In 2020, properties in 102 of the 198 countries and territories in the study were targeted in incidents tied to religion.
Incidents against Jewish people in 2020 ranged from verbal and physical assaults to vandalism of cemeteries and scapegoating for the pandemic.
79 countries and territories out of the 198 studied around the world (40%) had laws or policies in 2019 banning blasphemy.
Around a fifth (21%) of the 198 countries evaluated banned at least one religion-related group in 2019, our analysis found.
Social hostilities around the world involving religion declined in 2019 to the lowest level in five years.
Women in 56 countries experienced social hostilities due to clothing that was deemed to violate religious or secular dress norms.
In some countries – particularly in a segment of West and Central Africa – polygamy is frequently legal and widespread.
Government restrictions in 2018 were at their highest level since 2007, when Pew Research Center began tracking these trends.
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