In an address to the bishops on their "ad limina" visit to Rome, the Pope said the way Catholics could counteract the attraction of these religious groups was by "being better believers, more pious, affable and welcoming in [their] parishes and communities, so that no one will feel distant or excluded".
Despite the growth of Pentecostalism, Pope Benedict said Colombia was also steeped in a crisis marked by a "forgetfulness of God".
He said years ago it was possible to "recognise a unitary cultural fabric" in this South American nation but lamented that this was no longer the case.