Pope Francis tries to bolster church in Brazil But the religious order in this shantytown will remain the same when he leaves: The chapel is one small Catholic outpost surrounded by a sprinkling of evangelical churches, a microcosm of the challenges the Vatican faces in the world's most populous Catholic country. With 200 million people, the vast majority of whom profess some faith, Brazil is a huge battleground for souls. It has one in 10 of all the world's Catholics, making it enormously important to the Vatican. But for years now, Catholicism has been on the losing end of a pitched struggle with increasingly influential evangelical Christian churches. Among those contesting the supremacy of Catholicism here in Varginha is the Assembly of God church, where a broad-shouldered pastor with a golden smile, Elenilson Oliveira, jams on an electric guitar and uses his booming voice to urge neighborhood residents to join. Many have. His services are boisterous and improvised, with would-be pastors invited to the pulpit in the middle of a service to have their say, no matter how rambling their message. The faithful come seeking salvation and help with their daily travails - drug addicts and unwed mothers, old ladies and teens confused about the future. Some simply find joy in the services, in which Oliveira leads seven musicians and singers in rousing Gospel songs. What do I like about this? It has to do with me," said Fernanda Rocha, 21, a receptionist. It's festive, animated, it's for young people. People come here and we sing and we dance, all of this for God. In 1960, more than nine out of every 10 Brazilians considered themselves Catholic. Now 42 million say they are evangelical, more than one in five Brazilians. Most of those are Pentecostal, taking part in ceremonies in which the faithful speak in tongues and seek to have demons purged from their bodies. Animist cults, such as Candomble and Umbanda, also count a high number of adherents. Growing millions say they have no church affiliation or are agnostic or atheist. The church is banking on Pope Francis, 76, an Argentine who brings a Latin American sensibility coupled with charisma and a humble style, to turn the tide back toward Catholicism. Upon his arrival Monday, the Holy Father immediately showed his populist side, waving from a small car chugging through Rio's traffic-choked streets, touching those who reached inside and kissing a baby that was handed to him. "I don't have gold or silver - I bring the most precious thing given to me, Jesus Christ," the pontiff said in a 10-minute speech at the governor's palace, with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at his side.