DAY IS ALWAYS A GOOD OPENING.

CATHOLICISM IS ON A DECLINE FOR LATINOS IN THE U.S. THAT IS ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY WHICH FINDS ONLY 43% IDENTIFY AS CATHOLIC AS OF LAST YEAR.

THAT IS DOWN FROM 67% IN 2010.

A GREATER SHARE OF LATINOS IDENTIFIES RELIGIOUSLY UNAFFILIATED.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR OF UNITED CATHOLIC YOUTH MINISTRY AND COFOUNDER OF THE LATINX LINES AND MANAGING PARTNER OF THE CONSULTING FIRM.

I WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US TODAY.

I WILL START WITH YOU.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

ARE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE A SHIFT AWAY FROM CATHOLICISM ESPECIALLY AMONG LATINOS IN THE U.S.?

>> NO, NOT AT ALL ACTUALLY.

IT IS SOMETHING THAT US AT THE NONPROFIT THAT I WORK FOR ARE ALSO STRUGGLING WITH.

NOT JUST LATINOS ARE 19 TO 29 BUT ADOLESCENCE, 12 TO 18.

IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE TO HAVE THEM COME TO CHURCH, COME TO ANY CHURCH FUNCTION, WITHOUT HAVING THEIR PARENTS SUPPORT THEM.

>> WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

>> I THINK THAT IT IS A LOT OF REASONS.

I FEEL LIKE IT CAN BE THE RIGID STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH AND OF OUR PARENTS TRADITIONAL VALUES.

I THINK IT CAN ALSO BE, YOU KNOW, GEN Z AND THE YOUNGER GENERATION ALSO FEELING AS THOUGH MENTAL HEALTH AND CULTURAL VALUES ARE NOT BEING TAKEN AS AN INSTITUTION.

>> WHAT YOU THINK IS BEHIND THIS TREND OF LATINOS SHIFTING AWAY FROM CATHOLICISM?

>> I THINK THERE ARE A FEW THINGS.

I THINK I AGREE WITH WHAT SHE SAID IN TERMS OF , YOU KNOW, THIS IS A TREND THAT, YOU KNOW, BACK IN 2008, 2009, WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, WE HAD BEEN NOTED BEFORE AND ESSENTIALLY IT HAS TO DO WITH MANY THINGS.

ONE IS A SCANDAL THAT HAS PLAGUED THE CHURCH.

MAYBE AN ASPECT OF THAT.

ALSO RECENT SURVEY THAT CAME OUT ASKED PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEFT THE RELIGION WHY THEY HAVE DONE SO AND THE VAST MAJORITY SAID THEY JUST DON'T BELIEVE THE TEACHINGS OF THEIR RELIGION ANYMORE.

MAYBE THEIR OWN CHURCH -- IT APPLIES TO DIFFERENT CHRISTIANS AS WELL AS NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS.

CERTAINLY THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE CHURCHES AND CHURCH LIFE IS NOT RESONATING WITH CONTEMPORARY LIVING.

>> UNITED CATHOLIC YOUTH MINISTRIES, IS MORE UNCONVENTIONAL IN ITS APPROACH, RIGHT?

TELL US MORE.

>> HERE WE ARE A PART OF THE CHURCH BUT WE HAVE OUR OWN SPACE.

RIGHT WHEN YOU WALK IN YOU HAVE A BLACK LIVES MATTER AS WELL AS AN LGBTQ PLUS FLAG AND IT SAYS WELCOME ALL.

RIGHT THEN AND THERE I FEEL LIKE THAT GOES AGAINST THE TRADITIONAL RIGID STRUCTURE OF WHAT MANY OF OUR PARENTS FEEL IS EXCEPTING IN THE CHURCH AND WE ARE ALSO WILLING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THE STANCES THAT WE HAVE ON SOCIAL ISSUES, LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION AND WE ARE WILLING TO MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE.

WE ARE ALSO NOT -- WE ARE NOT GOING TO SHY AWAY FROM THE VALUES THAT WE HAVE BUT WE ARE WILLING TO WELCOME AND UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN VALUES AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOUTH ARE REALLY DRAWN TO.

THE FACT THAT WE ARE WILLING TO SAY, HEY, WE UNDERSTAND THE INSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH CAN BE A CHALLENGE BUT WE ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS SO YOU FIND YOUR OWN SPIRITUALITY AND YOUR OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BECAUSE IT IS NOT ABOUT THE INSTITUTION IT IS ABOUT WHO AND HOW YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS.

>> WOULD YOU FEEL LIKE DEPARTING FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AS AN INSTITUTION IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO BRING MORE YOUNG PEOPLE?

>> THAT IS ONE WAY BUT I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT WAY IN ORDER FOR THE CHURCH TO KEEP LATINOS ALSO TO KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE IN GENERAL, IS TO FOLLOW THE TIMES OF WHAT IS HAPPENING, ESPECIALLY WITHIN SOCIAL ISSUES.

I FEEL THE CHURCH IS STILL STUCK GOING BACK TO THE '50s AND '60s.

BEYOND THAT, RIGHT, I THINK THAT THE CHURCH ALSO NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE WANT TO KEEP PEOPLE WE WANT TO KEEP YOUTH, WE HAVE TO INVEST IN YOUTH AND WE ALL STEP TO INVEST IN THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM, NOT JUST IMPORTANT TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE CHURCH WHICH ARE USUALLY COMMUNAL, OLDER ADULTS OR PARENTS LIKE MY OWN.

>> GOING BACK WITH YOU, THIS IS A TWO-PARTER, RIGHT?

FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS A HUMANIST AND WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO CREATE A LATINX HUMANIST ALLIANCE?

>> A HUMANIST IS A PERSON WHO BELIEVES IN THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE AND BASICALLY , YOU KNOW, WE ARE GUIDED BY REASON.

WE DO NOT HAVE FATALISTIC VIEWS, AS WE WOULD PUT IT.

THERE IS NO BELIEF IN GOD AND ESSENTIALLY WE DRIVE THE AMERICAN HUMANIST ASSOCIATION.

WE ARE GOOD WITHOUT GOD.

IT'S PEOPLE WHO DOUBT GOD AND ARE TRYING TO DO GOOD IN THE WORLD AND TRYING TO BRING COMMUNITY.

THE ALLIANCE WHICH I RAN FROM 2018 -- AJ STARTED GOING THROUGH A SERIES OF CHANGES.

WE ARE CHANGING OUR APPROACH TO THESE GROUPS .

IT'S A GROUP THAT NOTICED THE INCREASING NUMBERS OF PEOPLE OF HISPANIC , LATINO, LATINX ORIGINS WERE ABANDONING RELIGION.

MANY OF THEM NOW, ESPECIALLY AMONG THE YOUNGER GROUPS ARE NOW GROWN WITHOUT BEING RELIGIOUS.

AND TO TRY TO GIVE THEM A SENSE OF COMMUNITY SO WE HAVE SEVERAL LEADERS -- YOU KNOW, WE STARTED WITH A FEW LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO HAVE BEEN ACTIVE IN THESE MOVEMENTS .

>> RIGHT.

UNFORTUNATELY OUR