Will Pope Francis be able to stem the tide of Latino departures from the Catholic Church? The widely-reported growth of Latino Protestantism in the United States has led various observers to pose this question as the first Latin American pope visits the U.S.

Today about a fourth of Latinos in the U.S. self-identify as protestant, particularly as Pentecostals. But depictions of Catholic loss and protestant gain only partially reveal the state of Latino religion. The wider dynamic is the immersion of Latinos in a religious culture of choice. This leads to switching in many directions. It also encompasses the increasing number of Latinos, especially among the younger generations, who state they have no religious preference.