At an annual conference of Catholic Latino leaders, Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput revealed that the bishops had hoped that a strong Catholic faith among Latinos would pull the United States back from secularization and immorality. Chaput admitted to Latino leaders, however, that the Catholic culture among Hispanics is not as strong as the bishops had estimated.

“Hispanic culture still has a soul formed by an encounter with Jesus Christ and the humanity and compassion that flow from it,” Chaput said Friday at the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders’ (CALL) national conference.

According to an article at National Catholic Register, Chaput warned the association, consisting of Hispanic business, professional, and community leaders, that the strength of Catholic culture among Latinos is weakening.