Complex sentence: In 1980, nine of every 10 Brazilians self-identified as Roman Catholics, but that percentage has steadily dropped and by 2007 only two-thirds of Brazilians remain Catholics as the country struggles with a shortage of priests.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1980, nine of every 10 Brazilians self-identified as Roman Catholics, but that percentage has steadily dropped. By 2007 only two-thirds of Brazilians remain Catholics as the country struggles with a shortage of priests.