Tens of thousands attend opening of Brazil's 'biggest' church

November 06, 2012: Tens of thousands of people have attended the opening of what is being considered the biggest Catholic church in Brazil, The Mother of God Sanctuary, in Sao Paulo, reported BBC on Monday.
Brazil is the most populated Catholic country in the world, but the Church has been struggling to stem the exodus of faithful from the Roman Catholic Church, while neo-Pentecostalism continues to grow.
That's where Father Marcelo Rossi's Mother of God sanctuary comes in. The not-yet-finished structure will seat 6,000 people and have standing room for 14,000 more, church leaders say. In addition, the grounds outside can hold 80,000 people who could watch Mass on outdoor video screens.
After the inaugural Mass on Friday attracted upward of 50,000 people, Father Rossi, a Latin Grammy-nominated singer, told reporters: "They couldn't all fit in. There was a crowd that had to stand outside! That's a sign we're on the right path."
Brazil still has more Catholics than any other country in the world, with about 65 percent of its 192 million people identifying themselves Catholic in the 2010 census. That's down from 74 percent in 2000 and is the lowest since records began tracking religion 140 years ago.