Open the Doors, Where Are All the People?

It's reported that in Salvador, Brazil there are 365 churches, one for every day of the year, not too surprising in a country that is reportedly 70% Catholic.  What is surprising is that attendance seems to be equal to that found in many not-so-Catholic cities

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In Goiania,  I attended mass twice on Sunday, in the morning near the hotel and later in the day at the Cathedral.   Both priests were soft-spoken and received favorably by the congregation.  Neither church was even half full--very familiar.

Since then we've visited churches throughout rural and urban areas.  VISITED is the key word, because that seems to be what Brasileiros are doing as well:  photographs near the altar, smiling poses in the confessionals, and a secular interest in the history and architecture of the church.