How did Orthodoxy spread in different countries of the world.

In what countries is Orthodoxy practiced?

1. See orthodoxy. ru local churches...
2. Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Armenia, Cyprus.
   And I don't know...
   but it's a fact that I didn't list all the countries but...
   I think it helped you a little :)
3. Orthodox (overwhelming majority) peoples are Russians, Georgians, Serbs, Greeks, Romanians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Montenegrins. In other countries, of course, there are also Orthodox communities, but they are a minority there. By the way, Armenians are Christians, but not Orthodox from the point of view of local Orthodox churches, since they are Monophysites. I.e, Armenian church recognizes only the divine nature of Christ. And Orthodox local churches are Dyophysites. That is, they recognize both the Divine and the human nature of Christ.
4. Orthodoxy prevails among the Eastern Slavs. About 80% of Russians, 80% of Belarusians and 76% of Ukrainians adhere to this confession. On the territory of Russia, in addition, Islam, Catholicism, Judaism and Buddhism are approximately equally represented. In Ukraine, 13.5% are Uniates 1 , 8.2% are Muslims, the rest are Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. In Belarus, 15% are Catholics, about 2% are Uniates, the rest are Protestants and Jews.

   Among the Western Slavs, for historical reasons, Orthodoxy took root to a lesser extent than among the Eastern and Southern. In Poland, 95% of Catholics, the rest of the believers are Orthodox, Protestants (mostly Lutherans), Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses. In the Czech Republic, 65% of Catholics, the rest of the believers are Protestants and Orthodox. In Slovakia, 60% are Catholics, the rest are Protestant believers (Calvinists and Lutherans). Lusatian Serbs living in Germany profess Protestantism (Lutherans) and Catholicism.

   The South Slavs, on the one hand, experienced big influence Byzantium, on the other hand, was for a long time under the rule of the Ottoman Porte. In this regard, Orthodoxy and Islam are practiced in many South Slavic states. So, in Bulgaria 85% are Orthodox, 13% are Muslims, 2% are representatives of other religious movements. Moreover, in the Rhodope Mountains (south of Plovdiv) live 250 thousand Pomaks of Slavic origin, who converted to Islam at a time when Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire. In Macedonia, 68% are Macedonian Slavs who profess Christianity according to Orthodox rituals. The non-Slavic population of this state professes Islam. In Croatia, 80% of the population are Catholics, 12% are Orthodox, and 8% are Muslims. In Slovenia, 80% are Catholics, the rest of the believers profess Christianity according to the Orthodox rite or Judaism. In Serbia and Montenegro, 67% of the population (Serbs and Montenegrins) are Orthodox, 3% of the population are Slavic Muslims; Islam is also practiced by Albanians (16% of the population) and Hungarians (3% of the population) are Catholics. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 43% of the population professes Islam (Sunnism), 31% - Orthodoxy, 2% - Catholicism, 4% - Protestantism. Moreover, on the territory of this country live Muslim Slavs (Bosnians, self-name Boshatsi) 43%, Serbs 31%, Croats 17%, other nationalities 9%. Muslims, or Bosnians, are the descendants of the Slavs who converted to Islam during the Turkish domination. They separated themselves from the rest of the Slavic population, acquired the cultural features of the Turkish population. During the census at the beginning of the 20th century. they were called undecided Yugoslavs. In the 60s of the XX century. this ethnic group was officially recognized.

5. Greece,
   Cyprus,
   Bulgaria,
   Romania,
   Macedonia,
   Montenegro,
   Serbia,
   Bosnia,
   Belarus,
   Ukraine,
   Russia,
   Syria,
   Ethiopia,
   Eritrea,
   Egypt (Coptic Orthodox Church, Egyptian Orthodox Church),
   Georgia,
   Armenia,
   Japan (partly)... .
   And some more...
   And also those where there are strong Orthodox communities... .

   If the Orthodox were engaged in colonization and crusades then more, perhaps...
   But quantity doesn't mean quality...

   P.S. Thanks for the good question...

6. Officially in Greece. This is the state religion. There are probably other countries, but I don't know for sure.
7. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Canada, USA, Japan, France - in all these countries there are quite strong Orthodox communities, perhaps in other countries there are, I don’t know for sure. And the Japanese Orthodox Church, oddly enough, is under the control of the Russian Orthodox Church.
8. Countries that profess Protestantism are the most developed and wealthy. Where Catholicism is professed - more modestly, but also in the cage, and only in Orthodox countries, especially in the countries of the former Soviet Union, there is poverty, devastation, hopelessness. What, hit on the right cheek, turn the left? Well, we live with these postulates, watching how the highest Orthodox "bosses" live - in super-luxury and wealth, spitting on the postulates for the flock. Our Father, where are you looking?!
9. Orthodoxy - glorifying Rule, by definition, has nothing to do with any religion. This is the Slavic-Aryan, Vedic worldview. The concept of Orthodoxy was transferred from the Slavic-Aryan, Vedic world view, only to apply such a concept to religions is not only incompatible, but unacceptable. It is contrary to any religious world view. And it was taken because at the time of the appearance of religions, people believed in Orthodoxy, and they could not impose a different worldview on them, except by deception and forcing them by force. In the future, deception and the imposition of religions by force under the guise of Orthodoxy are no longer mentioned, disorienting people.

Orthodoxy is divided into two main denominations: the Orthodox Church and the Old Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church is the second largest community in the world after the Roman Catholic Church. The Old Eastern Orthodox Church has similar tenets as the Orthodox Church, but in practice there is a difference in religious practices that are more diverse than those of the conservative Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church dominates in Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine, while the Old Eastern Orthodox Church dominates in Armenia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

10. Georgia (3.8 million)

The Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church has about 3.8 million parishioners. It belongs to the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox population of Georgia is the largest in the country and is governed by the Holy Synod of Bishops.

The current Constitution of Georgia recognizes the role of the church, but defines its independence from the state. This fact is the opposite historical device countries until 1921, when Orthodoxy was the official state religion.

9. Egypt (3.9 million)

Most Christians in Egypt are members of the Orthodox Church, accounting for about 3.9 million believers. The largest church denomination is the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, which is a follower of the Armenian and Syriac Old Eastern Orthodox Churches. The church in Egypt was founded in 42 AD. Apostle and Evangelist Saint Mark.

8. Belarus (5.9 million)

The Belarusian Orthodox Church is part of the Orthodox Church and has up to 6 million parishioners in the country. The Church is in full canonical communion with the Russian Orthodox Church and is the largest denomination in Belarus.

7. Bulgaria (6.2 million)

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has about 6.2 million independent believers of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the oldest in the Slavic region, founded in the 5th century in the Bulgarian Empire. Orthodoxy is also the largest religion in Bulgaria.

6. Serbia (6.7 million)

The Autonomous Serbian Orthodox Church, which belongs to the autocephalous Orthodox Church, is the leading Serbian religion with almost 6.7 million members representing 85% of the country's population. This is more than most ethnic groups in the country combined.

There are several Romanian Orthodox Churches in parts of Serbia founded by migrants. Most Serbs identify themselves by adherence to the Orthodox Church, not by ethnicity.

5. Greece (10 million)

The number of Christians who profess the Orthodox teaching is close to 10 million of the population of Greece. The Greek Orthodox Church includes several Orthodox denominations and cooperates with the Orthodox Church, holds liturgies in the original language of the New Testament - Greek Koine. The Greek Orthodox Church strictly follows the traditions of the Byzantine Church.

4. Romania (19 million)

Most of the 19 million parishioners of the Romanian Orthodox Church are part of the autocephalous Orthodox Church. The number of parishioners is approximately 87% of the population, which gives reason to sometimes call the Romanian language orthodox (Ortodoxie).

The Romanian Orthodox Church was canonized in 1885, and has since then strictly observed the Orthodox hierarchy that has existed for centuries.

3. Ukraine (35 million)

There are about 35 million members of the Orthodox population in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church gained independence from the Russian Orthodox Church after the collapse of the USSR. The Ukrainian Church is in canonical communion with the Orthodox Church and has the largest number parishioners in the country, representing 75% of the total population.

Several churches still belong to the Moscow Patriarchate, but Ukrainian Christians for the most part do not know what denomination they belong to. Orthodoxy in Ukraine has apostolic roots and has been declared the state religion several times in the past.

2. Ethiopia (36 million)

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the largest and oldest church in both population and structure. The 36 million members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are in canonical communion with the Old Eastern Orthodox Church and were part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is independent and the largest of all the Old Eastern Orthodox Churches.

1. Russia (101 million)

Russia has the largest number of Orthodox Christians in the world, totaling about 101 million parishioners. The Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Moscow Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Orthodox Church in canonical communion and full union with the Orthodox Church.

It is believed that there is intolerance towards Christians in Russia, and the number of Orthodox Christians is constantly disputed. A small number of Russians believe in God or even profess the Orthodox faith. Many citizens call themselves Orthodox Christians because they were baptized in the church as children or are mentioned in official government records but do not practice the religion.

The video will tell in detail about the main religions practiced in the world, with many historical facts.

Most of the Orthodox Christians of the world are located in Europe, and in the context of the total population, their share is declining, but the Ethiopian community diligently follows all the prescriptions of religion and is growing.

Over the past century, the number of Orthodox Christians in the world has more than doubled and now stands at almost 260 million people. In Russia alone, this figure exceeded 100 million people. Such a sharp surge was due to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

However, despite this, the proportion of Orthodox Christians among the entire Christian - and world - population is declining due to the faster growth in the number of Protestants, Catholics and non-Christians. Today, only 12% of the world's Christians are Orthodox, although just a hundred years ago this figure was about 20%. As for the total population of the planet, Orthodox among them are 4% (7% as of 1910).

The territorial distribution of representatives of the Orthodox denomination also differs from other major Christian traditions of the 21st century. In 1910 - shortly before the epochal events of the First World War, the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the collapse of several European empires - all three main branches of Christianity (Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism) were concentrated predominantly in Europe. Since then, the Catholic and Protestant communities have expanded significantly beyond the continent, while Orthodoxy has remained in Europe. Today, four out of five Orthodox Christians (77%) live in Europe, a relatively modest change from a century ago (91%). The number of Catholics and Protestants living in Europe is 24% and 12% respectively, and in 1910 they were 65% and 52%.

The declining share of Orthodox Christianity in the world's Christian population is linked to demographic trends in Europe, which has lower birth rates and older populations than developing regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and South Asia. Europe's share of world population has been falling for a long time and is projected to fall in absolute terms in the coming decades.

The emergence of Orthodox Christianity in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe is reportedly dated to the ninth century, when missionaries from the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople (now Turkish Istanbul), began to spread the faith deep into Europe. First, Orthodoxy came to Bulgaria, Serbia and Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), and then, starting from the 10th century, to Russia. Following the great schism between the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) churches in 1054, Orthodox missionary activity continued to spread throughout the Russian Empire from the 1300s to the 1800s.

During this time, Protestant and Catholic missionaries from Western Europe went overseas and crossed the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Through the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and British empires, Western Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism) reached Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and the Americas, regions where population growth in the 20th century greatly exceeded that of Europe. In general, Orthodox missionary activity outside of Eurasia has been less pronounced, although in the Middle East, for example, Orthodox churches have existed for centuries, with Orthodox missionaries converting people as far away as India, Japan, East Africa, and North America.

To date, Ethiopia has the largest percentage of Orthodox Christians outside of Eastern Europe. The centuries-old Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Tewahedo, has about 36 million followers, that is, almost 14% of the entire Orthodox population in the world. This East African outpost of Orthodoxy reflects two main trends. First, over the past 100 years, the local Orthodox population has grown much faster than in Europe. And secondly, in some respects, Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia are much more religious than Europeans. According to the Pew Research Center, this is consistent with a broader pattern in which Europeans are, on average, slightly less religious than those in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. (This applies not only to Christians, but also to Muslims in Europe, who generally do not follow religious precepts as diligently as Muslims in other countries of the world.)

Among Orthodox Christians in the post-Soviet space, as a rule, the most low level religiosity, which probably reflects the legacy of Soviet repression. In Russia, for example, only 6% of adult Orthodox Christians say they go to church at least once a week, 15% say religion is "very important" to them, and 18% say they pray daily. In other republics of the former USSR, this level is also low. Together, these countries are home to the majority of Orthodox Christians in the world.

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, on the other hand, are very scrupulous about all religious rites, not inferior in this respect to other Christians (including Catholics and Protestants) in sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly all Ethiopian Orthodox consider religion to be an important element of their lives, with about three-quarters reporting church attendance once a week or more (78%) and about two-thirds saying they pray daily (65%).

Orthodox Christians living in Europe outside the former USSR show somewhat more high level observance of rituals, but still greatly inferior to the Orthodox community in Ethiopia. In Bosnia, for example, 46% of Orthodox believe religion is very important, 10% attend church at least once a week, and 28% pray daily.

Orthodox Christians in the United States, who make up about 0.5% of the total US population and include many immigrants, show a moderate level of adherence to rituals of a religious nature: lower than in Ethiopia, but higher than in most European countries, at least in some respects . About half (52%) of adult Orthodox Christians in America consider religion an integral part of their lives, about one in three (31%) attend church weekly and a very small majority pray daily (57%).

What do these disparate communities have in common today, apart from a common history and liturgical traditions?

One almost universal element of Orthodox Christianity is the veneration of icons. Most believers around the world say they keep icons or other sacred images at home.

In general, the presence of icons is one of the few indicators of religiosity in which, according to surveys, Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe outperform Ethiopians. In the 14 countries of the former Soviet Union and other countries in Europe with a large percentage of Orthodox populations, the average number of Orthodox people who have icons at home is 90%, while in Ethiopia it is 73%.

Orthodox Christians all over the world are also united by the fact that all the clergy are married men; church structures are headed by numerous patriarchs and archbishops; the possibility of divorce is allowed; and attitudes towards homosexuality and same-sex marriage are very conservative.

These are just a few of the key findings from the Pew Research Center's recent global study of Orthodox Christianity. The data presented in this report was collected through various surveys and other sources. Data on religious beliefs and practices of Orthodoxy in nine countries of the former Soviet Union and five other countries in Europe, including Greece, comes from surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2015-2016. In addition, the center has up-to-date data on many (though not all) of the same questions posed to Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia and the United States. Together, these studies cover a total of 16 countries, that is, about 90% of the estimated number of Orthodox in the world. Among other things, population estimates for all countries are available based on information collected during the preparation of the 2011 Pew Research Center report titled "Global Christianity" and the 2015 report "The Future of World Religions: Demographic Growth Projections 2010-2050".

Broad support for church teachings on the priesthood and divorce

Despite their different levels of religiosity, Orthodox Christians around the world are united in their judgments about some distinctive church strategies and teachings.

Today, the majority of Orthodox Christians in every country surveyed support the current church practice of allowing married men to become clergy, in stark contrast to the Catholic Church-wide requirement of celibacy for priests. (In some countries, non-monastic Catholics believe the church should allow priests to marry; in the US, for example, 62% of Catholics think so.)

Similarly, most Orthodox support the Church's position on the issue of recognizing the procedure for divorce, which is also different from the position of Catholicism.

Orthodox Christians generally support a number of ecclesiastical positions that align with the course of the Catholic Church, including a ban on women being ordained. In general, the Orthodox on this issue have reached a greater agreement than the Catholics, since in some communities the majority are inclined to allow women to be tonsured. For example, in Brazil, which has the largest Catholic population in the world, the majority of believers believe that the church should allow women to serve (78%). In the United States, this figure is fixed at 59%.

In Russia and some other places, the Orthodox are divided on this issue, but in none of the countries surveyed the possibility of female initiation is supported by the majority (In Russia and some other countries, at least a fifth of respondents do not express an opinion on this matter).

Orthodox Christians are also united in protest against the encouragement of same-sex marriage (see Chapter 3).

In general, Orthodox Christians see much in common between their faith and Catholicism. When asked whether the two churches have "a lot in common" or "very different", the majority of Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe chose the first option. Catholics this region also tend to see more similarities than differences.

But things go no further than such a subjective relationship, and only a few Orthodox support the idea of ​​reunification with the Catholics. As a result of theological and political disputes, a formal schism separated Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism as early as 1054; and despite half a century of attempts by some clerics from both camps to promote reconciliation, in most countries of Central and Eastern Europe the idea of ​​church reunification remains a minority position.

In Russia, only one in six Orthodox Christians (17%) wants close communion between Eastern Orthodoxy and the Catholic Church, which is currently the lowest among all Orthodox communities surveyed. And in only one country, Romania, the majority of respondents (62%) are in favor of the reunification of the Eastern and Western churches. Many believers in the region refused to answer this question at all, which probably reflects either insufficient knowledge of the issue or uncertainty about the consequences of the unification of the two churches.

This pattern may be related to the alertness of Orthodox Christians towards papal authority. And while most Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe believe that Pope Francis is helping to improve relations between Catholics and Orthodox, far fewer people speak positively about Francis himself. Opinions on this issue may also be related to geopolitical tensions between Eastern and Western Europe. Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe tend to orient themselves toward Russia, both politically and religiously, while Catholics generally look to the West.

In general, the percentage of Orthodox Christians and Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe who support reconciliation is about the same. But in countries where representatives of both faiths are equally numerous, Catholics tend to be more inclined to support the idea of ​​reunification with Eastern Orthodoxy. In Bosnia, this opinion is shared by the majority of Catholics (68%) and only 42% of Orthodox Christians. A similar picture is observed in Ukraine and Belarus.

Digression: Oriental Orthodoxy and the Ancient Oriental Churches

Serious theological and doctrinal differences exist not only between Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Protestants, but also within the Orthodox Church itself, which is conditionally divided into two main branches: Eastern Orthodoxy, whose majority of adherents live in Central and Eastern Europe, and the ancient Eastern churches, whose adherents live mostly in Africa.

One such difference has to do with the nature of Jesus and the interpretation of his divinity, which is what the branch of Christian theology called Christology deals with. Eastern Orthodoxy, like Catholicism and Protestantism, considers Christ to be one person in two natures: fully divine and fully human, to use the terminology of the Council of Chalcedon convened in 451. And the teaching of the ancient Eastern churches, which are "non-Chalcedonian", is based on the fact that the divine and human nature Christ are one and indivisible.

The ancient Eastern churches have autonomous jurisdictions in Ethiopia, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Armenia, and Syria and account for about 20% of the world's total Orthodox population. Eastern Orthodoxy is divided into 15 churches, most of which are concentrated in Central and Eastern Europe, and which account for the remaining 80% of Orthodox Christians.

Data on beliefs, rituals and attitudes of Orthodox Christians in Europe and the former Soviet Union are based on surveys conducted through face-to-face interviews between June 2015 and July 2016 in 19 countries, 14 of which had a sufficient sample of Orthodox Christians for analysis. . The results of these surveys were released in a large Pew Research Center report in May 2017, and this article provides additional analysis (including results from Kazakhstan not included in the original report).

Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia were surveyed as part of the Global Opinion Poll (2015), as well as the 2008 survey regarding the religious beliefs and practices of Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa; Orthodox Christians in the United States were surveyed as part of the 2014 Religious Landscape Survey. Since the methods used in the United States and the form of the study are different from those used in other countries, the comparison of all indicators is very cautious. In addition, due to differences in the content of the questionnaires, some data for individual countries may not be available.

The largest unexplored Orthodox communities are found in Egypt, Eritrea, India, Macedonia and Germany. Despite the lack of data, these countries have not been excluded from the estimates presented in this report.

As a result of logistical problems, it is difficult to survey the population of the Middle East, although Orthodox Christians make up about 2% there. The largest group of Orthodox Christians in the Middle East lives in Egypt (approximately 4 million people or 5% of the population), most of them are adherents of the Coptic Orthodox Church. For more information on the demographics of Orthodox Christians in the Middle East region, including their gradual decline, see Chapter 1.

Historical population estimates for 1910 are based on a Pew Research Center analysis of the World Christian Database compiled by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Estimates for 1910 reveal an important historical moment that preceded a particularly active period for all Orthodox missionaries in the Russian Empire and occurred shortly before war and political upheaval caused a stir among most Orthodox communities. By the end of the 1920s, the Russian, Ottoman, German, and Austro-Hungarian empires ceased to exist and were replaced by new self-governing states and, in some cases, self-governing national Orthodox churches. Meanwhile, the Russian Revolution of 1917 spawned communist governments that continued to persecute Christians and other religious groups throughout the Soviet era.

This report, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation, is just one part of Pew Research Center's larger effort to understand religious change and its impact on societies around the world. The center has previously conducted religious surveys in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, North Africa and many other regions with large Muslim populations; as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean; Israel and the USA.

Other key findings of the report are presented below:

1. Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe are for the most part in favor of preserving nature for future generations, even at the cost of reduced economic growth. In part, this point of view may reflect the point of view of the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. But at the same time, conservation activities seem to be a ubiquitous value of the region as a whole. Indeed, this view is shared by the majority of Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe. (See chapter 4 for more details.)

2. Most of the Orthodox-majority countries of Central and Eastern Europe - including Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine - have national patriarchs who are regarded by residents as prominent religious figures. Everywhere, except in Armenia and Greece, the majority or so consider their national patriarch to be the highest authority of Orthodoxy. For example, 59% of Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria think so, although 8% also note the activities of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, also known as the Ecumenical Patriarch. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is also highly respected by Orthodox Christians in the region - even outside Russian borders - which once again confirms the sympathy of all Orthodox for Russia. (Orthodox attitudes towards patriarchs are discussed in detail in chapter 3.)

3. Orthodox Christians in America are more loyal to homosexuality than believers in Central and Eastern Europe and Ethiopia. In one 2014 poll, about half of American Orthodox Christians (54%) said they needed to legalize same-sex marriage, in line with America as a whole (53%). By comparison, the vast majority of Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe oppose same-sex marriage. (Orthodox Christian opinions on social issues are discussed in chapter 4.)

4. The vast majority of Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe say that they have received the sacrament of baptism, although many grew up during the Soviet era. (More on the religious traditions of Orthodox Christians in Chapter 2.)

Chapter 1. The geographical center of Orthodoxy continues to be in Central and Eastern Europe

Although the total number of non-Orthodox Christians worldwide has almost quadrupled since 1910, the figures for the Orthodox population have only doubled, from 124 million to 260 million. And because in 1910 the geographical center of Christianity moved from Europe, where it had been for many centuries, to the developing countries of the Southern Hemisphere, the majority of Orthodox Christians (approximately 200 million or 77%) still live in Central and Eastern Europe (including Greece and the Balkans). ).

Curiously, almost every fourth Orthodox Christian in the world lives in Russia. AT Soviet time millions of Russian Orthodox Christians moved to other countries of the Soviet Union, including Kazakhstan, Ukraine and the Baltic states, and many still live there today. There are about as many of them in Ukraine as there are adherents of the self-governing Ukrainian Orthodox Church - a total of about 35 million Orthodox Christians.

Similar figures are recorded in Ethiopia (36 million); its Tewahedo church has roots in the early centuries of Christianity. Due to rapid population growth in Africa, both the number of Orthodox Christians and their share in the total population have recently increased. In sub-Saharan Africa, the Orthodox population has increased more than tenfold over the past century, from 3.5 million in 1910 to 40 million in 2010. This region, including a significant Orthodox population in Eritrea as well as Ethiopia, currently has 15% of the world's Orthodox Christian population, and in 1910 this figure did not exceed 3%.

Meanwhile, significant groups of Orthodox also live in the Middle East and North Africa, mainly in Egypt (4 million people, according to 2010 estimates), and slightly less in Lebanon, Syria and Israel.

There are at least a million Orthodox Christians living in 19 countries, including Romania (19 million) and Greece (10 million). In 14 countries of the world, Orthodox Christians are in the majority, and all of them, with the exception of Eritrea and Cyprus, are concentrated in Europe. (In this report, Russia is classified as a European country.)

Most of the world's 260 million Orthodox Christians live in Central and Eastern Europe

The doubling of the world's Orthodox population to about 260 million has not matched the growth rate of the world's total population or other Christian communities, which nearly quadrupled between 1910 and 2010, from 490 million to 1.9 billion. (And the total Christian population, including Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, and other denominations, rose from 614 million to 2.2 billion.)

Central and Eastern Europe remains the focus of Orthodox Christians - more than three-quarters (77%) of them live in the region. Another 15% live in sub-Saharan Africa, 4% in Asia and the Pacific, 2% in the Middle East and North Africa, and 1% in Western Europe. In North America, there are only 1%, and in Latin - even less. This territorial distribution distinguishes the Orthodox population from other major Christian groups, which are much more evenly distributed around the world.

However, the proportion of Orthodox Christians living outside of Central and Eastern Europe has risen slightly, to 23% in 2010 from 9% a century ago. In 1910, only 11 million Orthodox Christians lived outside the region, out of a world population of 124 million. There are now 60 million Orthodox Christians living outside of Central and Eastern Europe, and the total Orthodox population is 260 million.

Although the total percentage of Orthodox Christians currently living in Europe (77%) has indeed decreased since 1910, when they were 91%, the share of the entire Christian population living in European countries has decreased significantly more - from 66% in 1910 to 26% in 2010 Indeed, today almost half (48%) of the Christian population lives in Latin America and Africa, compared with 14% recorded in 1910.

One non-European part of the world that has seen significant growth in the Orthodox population is sub-Saharan Africa, where the 15 percent share of the total Orthodox population is five times the 1910 figure. Most of the region's 40 million Orthodox people live in Ethiopia (36 million) and Eritrea (3 million). At the same time, the Orthodox remain a small minority of Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, most of whom are Roman Catholic or Protestant.

Most of the Orthodox are recorded in Russia, Ethiopia and Ukraine

In 1910, the Orthodox population of Russia was 60 million, but during the Soviet era, when the communist government suppressed any manifestation of religiosity and promoted atheism, the number of Russians who considered themselves Orthodox decreased sharply (to 39 million in 1970). Since the collapse of the USSR, the number of Orthodox in Russia has jumped to over 100 million.

A 2015 Pew Research Center poll suggests that the end of the communist era played a role in strengthening the position of religion in this country; more than half (53%) of Russians who say they were raised outside of religion but later became Orthodox believe growing public approval is the main reason for the change.

The world's second largest Orthodox population is in Ethiopia, where the number of Orthodox has grown tenfold since the early 20th century, from 3.3 million in 1910 to 36 million in 2010. A similar increase was recorded for the total population of Ethiopia during this period - from 9 to 83 million people.

The Orthodox population of Ukraine is almost equal to the Ethiopian (35 million people). In 19 countries of the world, the Orthodox population is 1 million or more.

As of 2010, eight of the ten countries with the largest Orthodox populations are in Central and Eastern Europe. For two separate years - 1910 and 2010 - a list of countries with the ten most numerous Orthodox communities in by and large did not change, and in both cases, the top ten included the population of the same nine countries. In 1910, Turkey added to the list, and in 2010, Egypt.

There are 14 Orthodox-majority countries in the world, and all of them are located in Europe, with the exception of African Eritrea and Cyprus, which in this report is considered as part of the Asia-Pacific region. (Ethiopia's 36 million Orthodox community is not a majority, accounting for about 43% of the total population.)

The largest percentage of Orthodox Christians is in Moldova (95%). In Russia, the largest of the countries with an Orthodox majority, one in seven (71%) professes Orthodoxy. The smallest country on this list is Montenegro (with a total population of 630,000), with 74% Orthodox.

The emergence of Orthodox diasporas in America and Western Europe

Over the past century, several large diasporas of Orthodox Christians have developed in America and Western Europe, the number of which was small a century ago.

Seven countries in Western Europe had fewer than 10,000 Orthodox in 1910 and now their numbers have risen to at least 100,000. The largest of these are Germany, which had only a few thousand Orthodox in 1910 and now has 1.1 million, and Spain, in which a century ago there was no Orthodox community at all, and now it has about 900 thousand people.

In the Americas, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil boast more than 100,000 Orthodox populations, although there were less than 20,000 a hundred years ago. The United States, with its current Orthodox population of almost 2 million, had only 460,000 in 1910.

Digression: Orthodoxy in the United States

The arrival of Orthodox Christians within the current borders of the United States dates back to 1794, when a small group of Russian missionaries arrived in Kodiak, Alaska, to convert local residents to their faith. This mission continued throughout the 1800s, but much of the growth of Orthodoxy in the United States is still due to immigration from Central and Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By 1910, there were almost half a million Orthodox Christians in the United States, and in 2010 this figure was approximately 1.8 million - about half a percent of the total population of the country.

The Orthodox presence in the United States is scattered. The disunity of the population of more than 21 faiths reflects the diverse ethnic ties with countries that have their own self-governing Orthodox Patriarchates. Nearly half (49%) of American Orthodox identify themselves as Greek Orthodox, 16% as ROC, 3% as Armenian Apostolic, 3% as Ethiopian Orthodox, and 2% as Copts, or Egyptian Orthodox Church. In addition, 10% identify themselves as representatives of the Orthodox Church of America (OCA), a US-based self-governing denomination that, despite its Russian and Greek roots, has many parishes, mostly Albanian, Bulgarian and Romanian. Another 8% of Orthodox Christians in the United States describe themselves as Orthodox in general, without specifying (6%) or not knowing (2%) their confessional affiliation.

Overall, nearly two-thirds (64%) of American Orthodox Christians are either immigrants (40%) or the children of immigrants (23%), the highest percentage of any Christian denomination in the United States. Apart from America itself, the most common birthplaces of American Orthodox Christians are Russia (5% of the total Orthodox population in the US), Ethiopia (4%), Romania (4%) and Greece (3%).

According to general measures of religiosity, Orthodox Christians in the United States, somewhat less than most other Christian communities, consider religion an important part of their lives (52%) and say they attend church at least once a week (31%). For all American Christians as a whole, these figures are fixed at 68% and 47%, respectively.

And yet, the largest growth of the Orthodox population outside of Central and Eastern Europe is in Africa. Ethiopia, where the Orthodox population has increased from three million to 36 million in the last century, is not part of the Orthodox diaspora; its Orthodox history dates back to the fourth century of Christianity, more than half a millennium before Christianity appeared in Russia. Over the past century, an increase in the number Orthodox Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea is largely due to natural population growth. Orthodoxy appeared in Kenya in the early to mid-20th century with the assistance of missionaries, and in the 1960s it became part of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church.

Chapter 2. Orthodox people in Ethiopia are very religious, which cannot be said about the countries of the former USSR

Orthodox Christians around the world exhibit a variety of levels of religiosity. For example, in Russia, only 6% of Orthodox Christians talk about weekly churchgoing, while in Ethiopia, the vast majority (78%) say so.

Indeed, Orthodox Christians living in countries that were once part of the USSR are less religious than residents of other countries. On average, 17% of the adult Orthodox population of the countries of the former Soviet Union speak about the importance of religion in their lives, while in other surveyed European countries (Greece, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia) this figure is at the level of 46%, in the USA - 52%, and in Ethiopia - 98%.

This is most likely due to the prohibition of religion under the communist regime. However, in the former republics of the USSR, this issue remains nevertheless significant: although frequent church attendance is characteristic of a few Orthodox Christians in the region, the majority say they believe in God, as well as in heaven, hell and miracles (at least half in most countries). And they believe in the same, if not more, degree than the Orthodox population of other countries in the destiny and existence of the soul.

Many Orthodox Christians living in the former Soviet Union also claim to have religious or spiritual beliefs that are not traditionally associated with Christian teachings. For example, at least half of the believers in most of the former Soviet republics believe in the evil eye (that is, curses and spells, as a result of which bad things happen to someone). Among Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia, there are fewer believers in such a phenomenon (35%), which cannot be said about other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nearly all Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia consider religion an important part of their lives.

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are significantly more religious than those living in Europe and the United States. Most of them go to church weekly (78%) and pray daily (65%), and almost all (98%) give religion an important place in their lives.

The level of religiosity is especially low among Orthodox Christians in the former Soviet republics, where the number of people attending church at least once a week ranges from 3% in Estonia to 17% in Georgia. The situation is similar in five other surveyed European countries with significant Orthodox populations: less than a quarter of believers each say they go to church weekly, although people in these countries, on average, are much more likely to consider religion an important part of their lives than in the countries of the former USSR.

American Orthodox Christians display moderate levels of religiosity. A small majority (57%) pray daily, and about half say religion is very important to them personally (52%). Approximately one in three (31%) Orthodox Christians in the United States goes to church every week, that is, more often than Europeans, but much less often than Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia.

Digression: Orthodoxy in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has the world's second largest Orthodox population of approximately 36 million, and the beginning of Christian history dates back to the fourth century. Church historians claim that in the early 300s, a Christian traveler from Tire (now the territory of Lebanon) named Frumentius was captured by the kingdom of Aksum, located in the north of modern Ethiopia and Eritrea. After his release, he helped spread Christianity in the region, and later the Patriarch of Alexandria bestowed on him the title of the first Bishop of Aksum. Today's Orthodox community in Ethiopia has religious roots dating back to the Frumentian era.

The survey results show that Orthodox Ethiopians, who currently make up 14% of the world's Orthodox population, are much more religious than Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe and the United States. For example, 78% of Orthodox Ethiopians say they attend church at least once a week, compared with an average of 10% in European countries and 31% in the United States. About the high importance of religion say 98% of Orthodox Ethiopians, while for the US and Europe, this figure is at the level of 52% and 28% respectively.

The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia belongs to the ancient Eastern churches along with five others (Egypt, India, Armenia, Syria and Eritrea). One of the hallmarks of Ethiopian Orthodoxy is the use of practices rooted in Judaism. Orthodox Ethiopians observe, for example, the Jewish Shabbat (sacred day of rest) and dietary laws (kashrut), as well as subjecting their sons to circumcision at the age of eight days old. In addition, the texts revered by the Ethiopians speak of the historical connection of the people with King Solomon, who is believed to have been the father of the son of the Ethiopian queen Makeda (Queen of Sheba). Their son Menelik I was Emperor of Ethiopia about 3,000 years ago and is said to have brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, where many Orthodox Ethiopians believe it still resides.

Majority Orthodox USA absolutely sure of their faith in God

The vast majority of Orthodox Christians around the world believe in God, but many are not so convinced of this.

In general, Orthodox Christians in the former Soviet republics are significantly less confident in their faith in God than those surveyed from other countries. Most of the Orthodox in Armenia (79%), Georgia (72%) and Moldova (56%) say this with full confidence, while in other countries the figure is much lower, including Russia - only 26%.

Meanwhile, the majority of Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia, the United States, Romania, Greece, Serbia and Bosnia are absolutely sure of the existence of God, with the Ethiopian Orthodox demonstrating the highest figure in this matter - 89%.

Most Orthodox in Ethiopia say they pay tithing and go hungry during Lent

The payment of tithes, communion and food restrictions during Lent are common traditions of Orthodox Christians living in countries outside the former USSR. In Bulgaria, fasting is not as common as in Bosnia (77%), Greece (68%), Serbia (64%) and Romania (58%), as well as Ethiopia (87%). For comparison: among the surveyed republics of the former USSR, only in Moldova fasting is observed by the majority (65%).

No former Soviet country has a majority among those who pay tithing - that is, those who give a certain percentage of their income to charity or churches. This is more common practice in Bosnia (60%), Ethiopia (57%) and Serbia (56%). Once again, at the very end of the list are the indicators of Bulgaria, where only 7% of Orthodox Christians pay tithes.

Almost all Orthodox Christians in Europe are baptized

Two religious traditions are common among all Orthodox Christians, regardless of where they live: the sacrament of baptism and keeping icons at home. The vast majority of Orthodox Christians in the countries surveyed claim that they have icons of saints in their homes, with the most high performance were recorded in Greece (95%), Romania (95%), Bosnia (93%) and Serbia (92%). This is also indicated by the majority of Orthodox Christians in all former Soviet republics, despite the low level of general religiosity.

And although in Soviet times the observance of religious traditions was basically forbidden, the sacrament of baptism was passed by the vast majority of Orthodox Christians living in the territory of the former USSR. And among Orthodox Christians in Greece, Romania and some other European countries, this rite is almost universal.

Most Orthodox Christians in Europe say they light candles in church

The vast majority of Orthodox Christians in every European country surveyed claim to light candles when visiting churches and wear religious symbols.

In the countries of the former Soviet Union, the wearing of religious symbols (such as a cross) is more common than elsewhere. In each post-Soviet country surveyed, the majority of believers wear religious symbols. For comparison: among European countries that were not part of the Soviet Union, such a statement was made by the majority of respondents in Greece (67%) and Romania (58%), and in Serbia (40%), Bulgaria (39%) and Bosnia (37%). ) this tradition was not so widespread.

Among the Orthodox, belief in heaven, hell and miracles is widespread.

The majority of Orthodox Christians in the world believe in heaven, hell and miracles, and these beliefs are especially characteristic of the people of Ethiopia.

In general, Orthodox Christians of the former Soviet republics believe in heaven a little more than residents of other European countries, and much more in hell.

In the US, the majority of Orthodox Christians believe in an afterlife, although there is a significant gap between those who believe in heaven and those who believe in hell (81% and 59% respectively).

Among Orthodox Christians, belief in fate and the soul is widespread.

Among the residents of the surveyed countries, the majority of Orthodox Christians say they believe in fate - that is, in the predestination of most of the circumstances of their lives.

Similarly, Orthodox Christians in Europe believe in the existence of the soul, and the figures for the former Soviet republics and other European countries are almost the same.

Many Orthodox believe in the evil eye and magic

Surveys of believers in Central and Eastern Europe and Ethiopia included several questions about religious or spiritual beliefs that are not directly related to Christianity, and the results showed that many adhere to them. In about half of the countries surveyed, the majority believe in the evil eye (curses or spells against other people), and in most countries, more than a third of believers say they believe in magic, sorcery and sorcery.

A smaller percentage of Orthodox Christians believe in reincarnation, since this concept is more associated with Hinduism, Buddhism, and others. Eastern religions. However, at least one in five Orthodox Christians in most countries believe in the transmigration of souls.

Belief in the evil eye is especially common among those Christians who live in the territory of the former USSR - an average of 61% of respondents adhere to such views. As for other European countries, the percentage of believers in the evil eye is relatively low everywhere except in Greece (70%).

In Ethiopia, this figure is at the level of 35% - that is, lower than in Europe and other African countries.

Most Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia hold exclusivist views on religion.

Most Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia say that their faith is the only correct one and leads to eternal life in heaven, and that there is only one way to correctly interpret the teachings of their religion. And among Orthodox Christians in other countries, such views are less widespread.

As a rule, the surveyed Orthodox Christians of the former Soviet republics hold exclusivist views to a somewhat lesser extent than other Orthodox Europeans, namely, less than half of the believers. For comparison: in Romania, almost half of them (47%).

Chapter 3

For almost a thousand years, Orthodoxy and Catholicism have been divided by many disputes - from theological to political. And although leaders on both sides have tried to resolve them, less than four out of ten Orthodox Christians in the vast majority of the countries surveyed support the reconciliation of their church with the Catholic one.

At the same time, in many countries, the Orthodox majority speaks of a multitude common features with Catholicism, and in most countries of Central and Eastern Europe believe that Pope Francis helped improve relations between the two faiths. On the whole, the opinion of the Orthodox about the pope is ambiguous: half or less of the Orthodox respondents speak of a positive attitude towards him, including only 32% in Russia.

There are two issues on which the teachings of Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism diverge: allowing married men to become priests and sanctioning divorces. Most Orthodox Christians support the official position of their church, according to which permission is given in both cases. Orthodox Christians also largely support the church's decision to ban same-sex marriage and the ordination of women, two issues on which their church's opinion coincided with that of Catholics. Moreover, in the last question, the number of dissenting Orthodox women and men is the same.

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians were asked two additional questions. The results show that the majority of respondents support the church's policy that does not allow married men to become clergy and prohibits couples from marrying if one of the spouses is not a Christian.

The Contradictory Position of Orthodox Christians Regarding Union with the Catholic Church

Neither Orthodox Christians nor Catholics are enthusiastic about the reunification of their churches, which officially split in 1054. In 12 of the 13 countries surveyed in Central and Eastern Europe with a significant Orthodox population, less than half of the believers support this idea. The majority was recorded only in Romania (62%), and among Catholics, this position is occupied by the majority only in Ukraine (74%) and Bosnia (68%). In many of these countries, about a third or more of the Orthodox and Catholic respondents were undecided or unable to answer the question, probably as a result of a misunderstanding of the aforementioned historical schism.

In Russia, home to the largest Orthodox population in the world, only 17% of Orthodox support reunification with Catholicism.

In general, the responses of Orthodox Christians and Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe are identical. But in those countries where the percentage ratio of the Orthodox and Catholic populations is approximately the same, the first support for the unification of the two churches is not as pronounced as their Catholic compatriots. In Bosnia, for example, 42% of Orthodox Christians and 68% of Catholics answered yes to this question. A significant gap is also observed in Ukraine (34% of Orthodox versus 74% of Catholics) and Belarus (31% versus 51%).

Orthodox and Catholics consider religions similar

While relatively few advocate a hypothetical church reunion, members of both denominations believe their religions have much in common. This is the opinion of the majority of Orthodox Christians in 10 of the 14 countries surveyed, as well as the majority of Catholics in seven of the nine communities concerned.

One of the key factors in this issue is often closeness to people of other faiths; which is especially pronounced in countries with a high percentage of adherents of both denominations. In Bosnia, for example, a similar point of view is expressed by 75% of Orthodox Christians and 89% of Catholics, and in Belarus - 70% and 75%, respectively.

The Catholics of Ukraine, more often than other residents of the region, talk about the many similarities between Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. This is partly due, probably, to the fact that the majority of Ukrainian Catholics consider themselves Catholics of the Byzantine rite, and not Roman Catholics.

Orthodox believe that Pope Francis promotes relations between the two churches, but largely disagree with him

In 1965, Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and Pope Paul VI agreed on the "removal of the anathemas" of 1054. And today, most Orthodox Christians surveyed in most countries believe that Pope Francis - who has made joint statements with both Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow - is helping to improve relations between Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

This opinion is shared by more than two-thirds of Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria, Ukraine and a number of other countries, while in Russia only half of them.

A much lower level among the Orthodox is recorded in relation to the general impression of the activities of Pope Francis. Across the region, slightly less than half (46%) of Orthodox Christians evaluate it positively, including about a third (32%) of Russian believers surveyed. This does not mean that everyone else treats him badly; only about 9% of Orthodox Christians in these countries take this position, while 45% have no opinion on this issue or refrained from answering.

Catholics, meanwhile, are for the most part unanimous in their attitude towards the Pope: the majority of believers in all nine communities surveyed believe that he works for the good of his church's relationship with Orthodoxy.

The Orthodox recognize the Patriarch of Moscow as the highest religious authority, and not the primate of the Church of Constantinople

Religious authority among Orthodox Christians is wielded more by the Patriarch of Moscow than by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, although the latter is traditionally known as the "first among equals" leaders of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

In all countries surveyed that have an Orthodox majority and do not have a self-governing national Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Moscow (currently Kirill) is considered the highest authority, not Constantinople (currently Bartholomew).

In countries where there are self-governing national Orthodox churches, Orthodox respondents tend to prefer their patriarch. At the same time, other residents of some of these countries are opting for the Moscow Patriarch. The exception is Greece, where the Ecumenical Patriarch is still considered the highest Orthodox authority.

Digression: Russia, the largest Orthodox country

In 1988 Soviet Union celebrated the millennium of the historical event that brought Orthodoxy to Russia and its environs - a massive act of baptism, which is believed to have occurred in 988 on the Dnieper in Kyiv under the supervision and with the direct participation of the Grand Duke Kievan Rus Vladimir Svyatoslavovich.

Then the center of the Orthodox world was Constantinople. But in 1453, the Muslim-led Ottoman Empire conquered the city. Moscow, according to some observers, has become the "third Rome", the leader of the Christian world after Rome itself and Constantinople, called the "second Rome".

Russia lost its role as the leader of the Orthodox world during the communist era with the spread of Soviet power atheism throughout the USSR, forcing the country's religious institutions to defend themselves. Between 1910 and 1970, Russia's Orthodox population dropped by a third, from 60 million to 39. Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev dreamed of the day when there would be only one Orthodox priest in the entire country. But since the end of the Soviet era, Russia's Orthodox population has more than doubled to 101 million. Now about seven out of ten Russians (71%) consider themselves Orthodox, and in 1991 this figure was 37%.

Even in 1970, Russia's Orthodox population was the largest in the world, and now it is almost three times larger than the second and third largest national Orthodox populations in Ethiopia (36 million) and Ukraine (35 million). One of the indicators of Russia's religious influence is that although the Patriarch of Constantinople bears the title of "first among equals" religious leaders, more and more Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe consider the Patriarch of Moscow to be the highest Orthodox authority. (See survey results here.)

At the same time, according to a number of indicators, Orthodox Christians in Russia are among the least religious communities in Central and Eastern Europe. For example, only 6% of Orthodox Russians go to church weekly, 15% consider religion to be a “very important” part of their lives, 18% pray daily, and 26% speak about the existence of God with absolute certainty.

Widespread support for church attitudes towards divorce

Orthodoxy and Catholicism have different points of view on some controversial issues. For example, Orthodoxy in most cases allows the possibility of divorce and remarriage, while Catholicism prohibits it. The latter also will not allow married men to become priests, which is not the case in Orthodoxy.

Most Orthodox Christians support the church's position on these issues. Indeed, in 12 of the 15 countries surveyed, believers say they support the church's attitude toward the dissolution of marriages between Orthodox Christians. This is most widespread in Greece - 92%.

Most Orthodox support the practice of ordination to married men

The majority of Christians in every country surveyed with significant Orthodox populations approve of the church's policy regarding the ordination of married men. The largest number of supporters of this position, which contradicts the point of view of Catholicism, is again recorded in Greece - 91% of Orthodox respondents. It is least common in Armenia, although even there it is still supported by the majority (58%) of Orthodox Christians.

Ethiopian Orthodox also generally agree that married men should not be banned from becoming priests (78%).

In most countries, the Orthodox support the policy of the church regarding the ministry of women.

Although in some Orthodox jurisdictions women can be ordained as deaconess - which entails various official church duties - and some consider this possibility, in general the position of Orthodoxy coincides with the position of Catholicism, where the ordination of women is prohibited.

This ban is supported by the Orthodox majority (or slightly less) in many countries, including Ethiopia (89%) and Georgia (77%). But in some places the opinions of the Orthodox are divided. This includes Russia, where 39% of believers are for and against the current policy. Almost a quarter of Russian Orthodox Christians have no point of view on this issue.

The number of Orthodox women and men supporting the ban is approximately equal. For example, in Ethiopia this point of view is shared by 89% of women and men, in Romania - by 74%, and in Ukraine - by 49%.

Universal support for a ban on same-sex marriage

The Orthodox Church, like the Catholic Church, does not allow same-sex marriages. This ban is supported by about six out of ten or more Orthodox Christians surveyed in all countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Georgia (93%), Armenia (91%) and Latvia (84%). In Russia, there are 80% of those.

In most countries, this policy is advocated by both young people and those who are older. The main exception is Greece, where this view is supported by about half (52%) of those aged 18-29 and 78% of those aged 50 and over.

Although in some regions the level of religiosity is directly related to views on same-sex marriage, among Orthodox Christians this does not seem to be a key factor. With rare exceptions, the aforementioned church positions are supported by both those who consider religion extremely important and those who say that it is not of decisive importance in their lives.

(For more on Orthodox views on homosexuality and other social issues, see Chapter 4.)

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians oppose consecration of married priests as bishops

In Ethiopia, which has the second largest Orthodox population in the world, the Pew Research Center asked two follow-up questions about church policy regarding marriage. The vast majority of these positions are also shared.

About seven out of ten Orthodox Ethiopians (71%) agree with the ban on conferring the title of bishop on married priests. (In Orthodoxy, already married men can become clergy, but not bishops.)

Even more significantly, the majority (82%) of Orthodox Ethiopians support a ban on marrying couples if one of the spouses is not a Christian.

Chapter 4. Orthodox social conservative views on gender and homosexuality

The views of Orthodox Christians on the problems of protection of the environment and homosexuality converge in many ways. Most Eastern Orthodox Christians - whose spiritual leader Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been awarded the title of "Green Patriarch" - are in favor of protecting the environment, even at the expense of economic growth. And practically all Orthodox Christians of the world, with the possible exception of Greeks and Americans, are convinced that society should once and for all stop encouraging homosexuality.

On other issues, opinions are divided, including with regards to the legality of abortion, with the largest number of opponents of the latter recorded in the former Soviet republics.

Ethiopians are especially conservative in social issues. When responding to a series of questions about the morality of specific patterns of behavior, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, more than others surveyed, express their opposition to abortion, sex outside of marriage, divorce, and the use of alcohol.

This chapter examines the views of Orthodox Christians on a range of social and political issues, including human evolution, as well as gender roles and norms. While not all of the questions posed to Orthodox Christians in Central and Eastern Europe (where they are in the vast majority) were asked to their fellow believers in the United States and Ethiopia, there are plenty of cross-regional comparisons in this chapter.

Orthodox Christians generally reject homosexuality and oppose same-sex marriage

The need for societal rejection of homosexuality is spoken by the vast majority of Orthodox Christians in Eastern Europe, including virtually all believers in Armenia (98%) and more than eight out of ten Russians (87%) and Ukrainians (86%), representing the largest Orthodox communities in the region. In general, Orthodox Christians in the former Soviet republics understand homosexuality to a lesser extent than residents of other Eastern European countries.

There are two exceptions here: Greece and the United States. Half of Orthodox Christians in Greece and a clear majority (62%) in the US believe that society should accept homosexuality.

Similarly, very few Orthodox Christians in Eastern Europe feel the need to legalize same-sex marriage. Even in Greece, where half of the Orthodox call for an adequate perception of homosexuality, only a quarter (25%) speak of a positive attitude towards the legalization of marriages between homosexual couples.

At present, in all eastern European countries same-sex marriages are illegal (although Greece and Estonia allow such couples to live together or have civil unions), and neither Orthodox Church sanctioned them.

In the United States, however, same-sex marriage is legal everywhere. Orthodox Christians view this for the most part favorably: more than half (54% as of 2014).

Contradictory views of Orthodox Christians on the legal component of abortion

There is no consensus on the legality of abortion among Orthodox Christians. In some countries, such as Bulgaria and Estonia, the majority favors the legalization of abortion in all or most cases, while in Georgia and Moldova, the majority takes the opposite position. In Russia, the majority of Orthodox Christians (58%) are also of the opinion that the abortion procedure should be recognized as illegal.

In today's Russia, most of Eastern Europe, and the United States, abortion is for the most part legal.

As in the case of homosexuality and same-sex marriage, Orthodox Christians in the former Soviet republics are somewhat more conservative about the legality of abortion than other believers in Eastern Europe. About 42% of the surveyed Orthodox Christians from nine post-Soviet states declared the need to legalize abortion in all or most cases, and in five other European countries this figure was 60%.

Orthodox Christians consider homosexual behavior and prostitution to be immoral

Although questions about homosexuality, same-sex marriage and abortion have not been asked recently among Orthodox Ethiopians, in 2008 the Pew Research Center revealed the attitude of this community towards "homosexual behavior", "the appropriateness of the abortion procedure" and other situations. (The numbers may well have changed since then.)

In 2008, almost all Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia (95%) said that "homosexual behavior" is immoral, and abortion was condemned by the vast majority (83%). This list also included prostitution (93% of opponents), divorce (70%) and alcohol consumption (55%).

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are more likely to object to some of these behaviors than residents of most Eastern European countries, although in Eastern Europe - both in the former Soviet republics and elsewhere - homosexual behavior and prostitution are also considered immoral. American Orthodox Christians were not asked about the morality of such behavior.

Orthodox believe that protecting the environment is more important than economic growth

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople Considered the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, I has been called the "Green Patriarch" for his environmental activism.

Most Orthodox Christians share the view that environmental protection should be carried out even at the expense of economic growth. The majority of Orthodox Christians in all Eastern European countries surveyed agree with the statement: “We must defend environment for future generations, even if economic growth slows down.” In Russia, this view is shared by 77% of Orthodox Christians and 60% of non-religious people, although significant differences between Orthodox Christians and members of other religious groups within a given country do not always exist.

In the post-Soviet space and in other European countries, the views of Orthodox Christians on this subject are largely similar. Orthodox Christians in the US were asked a slightly different question, but again, a majority (66%) say stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the money.

Orthodox Christians tend to believe in human evolution

Most Orthodox Christians believe that humans and other creatures have evolved over time, although a significant percentage of the inhabitants of many countries reject the theory of evolution, arguing that all living organisms have existed in their current form since the beginning of time.

The majority of Orthodox Christians in most of the Eastern European countries surveyed believe in evolution, and the prevailing view among adherents of this view is that evolution was due to natural processes such as natural selection (rather than the presence of higher intelligence).

In the US, about six out of ten Orthodox Christians (59%) believe in evolution, of which 29% support the theory of natural selection, and 25% believe that everything was controlled by some higher being. About a third of American Orthodox Christians (36%) reject evolution, as do 34% of the general American population.

Many Orthodox Europe say that women are responsible to society for having children, although they do not support traditional gender roles in marriage

Throughout Eastern Europe, most Orthodox Christians believe that women are socially responsible for having children, although fewer people in the former Soviet republics hold this view.

A smaller number of Orthodox Christians in the region - although the percentage is still high in most countries - say that a wife should always be subservient to her husband and that men should have more privileges in employment. Even fewer people consider the ideal marriage in which the husband earns money, and the wife takes care of the children and the household.

In Romania, Orthodox Christians tend to have more traditional views on gender roles than those in other Eastern European countries: about two-thirds or more say women are required to bear children, submit to husbands, and men should have more rights in matters of employment during periods high unemployment.

Although no such questions were asked in the US, the majority (70%) say, in response to another question, that American society has benefited from the presence of a large number of women in the working population.

Among Orthodox men women's rights are not supported by such a high percentage as among the fair sex. In most countries, women, unlike men, generally disagree with the notion that wives are obligated to obey their husbands. And with regards to privileges in employment, especially in conditions of a shortage of jobs, in a number of countries there are more men than women who agree with this position.

However, women are not always more enthusiastic about supporting a liberal point of view in the context of gender roles. In most of the countries surveyed, women generally agree with their social responsibility for having children. They also agree on equal terms with men that a traditional marriage is ideal, in which women are primarily responsible for the household, and men earn money.

Orthodox countries make up a large percentage of the total number of states on the planet and are geographically scattered throughout the world, but they are most concentrated in Europe and the East.

There are not many religions in the modern world that have managed to keep their rules and main dogmas, supporters and faithful servants of their faith and church. Orthodoxy belongs to such religions.

Orthodoxy as a branch of Christianity

The very word "Orthodoxy" is interpreted as "correct glorification of God" or "correct service."

This religion belongs to one of the most widespread religions of the world - Christianity, and it arose after the collapse of the Roman Empire and the division of churches in 1054 AD.

Fundamentals of Christianity

This religion is based on dogmas, which are interpreted in the Holy Scriptures and in the Holy Tradition.

The first includes the book of the Bible, which consists of two parts (New and Old Testaments), and Apocrypha, which are sacred texts that are not included in the Bible.

The second consists of seven and the works of the Church Fathers, who lived in the second to fourth centuries of our era. These people include John Chrysostom, Athanasius of Alexandrovsky, Gregory the Theologian, Basil the Great, John of Damascus.

Distinctive features of Orthodoxy

In all Orthodox countries, the main tenets of this branch of Christianity are observed. These include the following: the trinity of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), salvation from doomsday through the confession of faith, the atonement of sins, the incarnation, the resurrection and ascension of God the Son - Jesus Christ.

All these rules and dogmas were approved in 325 and 382 on the first two Ecumenical Councils. proclaimed them eternal, indisputable and communicated to mankind by the Lord God himself.

Orthodox countries of the world

Orthodoxy is practiced by approximately 220 to 250 million people. This number of believers is one tenth of all Christians on the planet. Orthodoxy is spread all over the world, but the largest percentage of people who profess this religion is in Greece, Moldova and Romania - 99.9%, 99.6% and 90.1% respectively. Other Orthodox countries have slightly lower percentages of Christians, but Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Montenegro also have high percentages.

The largest number of people whose religion is Orthodoxy live in the countries of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, a large number of religious diasporas are spread around the world.

List of Orthodox countries

An Orthodox country is one in which Orthodoxy is recognized as the state religion.

The country with the largest number of Orthodox is the Russian Federation. In percentage terms, of course, it is inferior to Greece, Moldova and Romania, but the number of believers significantly exceeds these Orthodox countries.

• Greece - 99.9%.
• Moldova - 99.9%.
• Romania - 90.1%.
• Serbia - 87.6%.
• Bulgaria - 85.7%.
• Georgia - 78.1%.
• Montenegro - 75.6%.
• Belarus - 74.6%.
• Russia - 72.5%.
• Macedonia - 64.7%.
• Cyprus - 69.3%.
• Ukraine - 58.5%.
• Ethiopia - 51%.
• Albania - 45.2%.
• Estonia - 24.3%.

The distribution of Orthodoxy across countries, depending on the number of believers, is as follows: in the first place is Russia with 101,450,000 believers, Ethiopia has 36,060,000 Orthodox, Ukraine - 34,850,000, Romania - 18,750,000, Greece - 10,030,000, Serbia - 6,730,000, Bulgaria - 6,220,000, Belarus - 5,900,000, Egypt - 3,860,000, and Georgia - 3,820,000 Orthodox.

Peoples who profess Orthodoxy

Consider the spread of this belief among the peoples of the world, and according to statistics, most of the Orthodox are among the Eastern Slavs. These include peoples such as Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians. In second place in terms of popularity of Orthodoxy as a native religion are the South Slavs. These are Bulgarians, Montenegrins, Macedonians and Serbs.

Moldovans, Georgians, Romanians, Greeks and Abkhazians are also mostly Orthodox.

Orthodoxy in the Russian Federation

As indicated above, the country of Russia is Orthodox, the number of believers is the largest in the world and extends over its entire large territory.

Orthodox Russia is famous for its multinationality, this country is home to a large number of peoples with different cultural and traditional heritage. But most of these people are united by their belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

To such Orthodox peoples Russian Federation include the Nenets, Yakuts, Chukchi, Chuvash, Ossetians, Udmurts, Mari, Nenets, Mordovians, Karelians, Koryaks, Veps, the peoples of the Republic of Komi and Chuvashia.

Orthodoxy in North America

It is believed that Orthodoxy is a faith that is common in Eastern Europe and a small part of Asia, but this religion is also present in North America, thanks to the huge diasporas of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Greeks and other peoples resettled from Orthodox countries .

Most North Americans are Christians, but they belong to the Catholic branch of that religion.

It's slightly different in Canada and the US.

Many Canadians consider themselves Christians, but they rarely go to church. Of course, the difference is slightly present depending on the region of the country and urban or rural areas. It is known that city dwellers are less religious than rural people. The religion of Canada is mainly Christian, most of the believers are Catholics, in second place are other Christians, a significant part are Mormons.

The concentration of the last two religious movements is very different from the region of the country. For example, the Maritime provinces are home to many Lutherans who were once settled there by the British.

And in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, there are many Ukrainians who profess Orthodoxy and are adherents of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

In the US, Christians are less zealous, but, compared to Europeans, they attend church and perform religious rites more often.

Mormons are mainly concentrated in Alberta, due to the migration of Americans who are representatives of this religious movement.

The main sacraments and rites of Orthodoxy

This Christian trend is based on seven main actions, each of which symbolizes something and strengthens human faith in the Lord God.

The first thing that is done in infancy is baptism, it is carried out by immersing a person in water three times. This number of dives is done in honor of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This ritual signifies the spiritual birth and adoption by a person of the Orthodox faith.

The second action, which takes place only after baptism, is the Eucharist or communion. It is carried out through eating a small piece of bread and a sip of wine, symbolizing the eating of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Confession, or repentance, is also available to the Orthodox. This sacrament consists in the recognition of all one's sins before God, which a person speaks before a priest, and he, in turn, forgives sins on behalf of God.

The sacrament of chrismation is a symbol of the preservation of the received purity of the soul, which was after baptism.

The ritual, which is performed jointly by two Orthodox, is a wedding, an action in which, on behalf of Jesus Christ, the newlyweds are parted for a long family life. The ceremony is performed by a priest.

Unction is a sacrament during which a sick person is smeared with oil (wood oil), which is considered sacred. This action symbolizes the descent of God's grace upon the person.

There is another sacrament among the Orthodox, which is available only to priests and bishops. It is called the priesthood and consists in the transfer to the new priest from the bishop of a special grace, the validity of which is for life.

Orthodoxy (from "the correct glorification of God") is one of the largest areas of Christianity and the world. After the split of the Christian Church in 1054 into two branches - the eastern (Greek) and the western (Roman or Latin) - completely inherited the Byzantine religious traditions. Formed in the east of the Roman Empire in the 1st millennium AD in the 11th century, it separated itself from the Western Christian model and took organizational shape.

The confessional basis of the Orthodox religion

The confessional basis of the Orthodox religion includes:
1. Holy Bible- Bible ( Old Testament and the New Testament), Apocrypha (sacred texts not included in the Bible).
2. Sacred tradition - decisions of the first seven ecumenical councils (Roman Catholics recognize subsequent ones) and the works of the church fathers of the II - VIII centuries, such as Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John of Damascus, John Chrysostom.

The main tenets of Orthodoxy

The main dogmas of Orthodoxy:
- the idea of ​​salvation through confession of faith,
- the idea of ​​the trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit),
- idea of ​​incarnation
- idea of ​​redemption
- the idea of ​​the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
All dogmas were formulated in 12 paragraphs and approved at the first two Ecumenical Councils of 325 and 382. The Church declared them absolutely true, indisputable, eternal, communicated to man by God himself.

The basis of the cult of Orthodoxy

The basis of the Orthodox cult is seven main rites-sacraments:
- baptism. It symbolizes the acceptance of a person into the bosom of the Christian church and means spiritual birth. It is carried out by immersing a person in water three times (in honor of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit)
- Communion (Eucharist). It symbolizes communion with God through the rite of communion - eating the body and blood of Christ, that is, bread and wine.
- repentance (confession). It symbolizes the recognition of one's sins before Jesus Christ, who, through the mouth of a priest, lets them go.
- chrismation. It symbolizes the preservation of spiritual purity received during baptism.
- marriage. It takes place in the temple at the wedding, when the newlyweds are admonished for a long and happy life together on behalf of Jesus Christ.
- Unction (unction). Symbolizes the descent of the grace of God upon the sick. It consists in anointing his body with wood oil (oil), which is considered sacred.
- priesthood. It consists in the transfer by the bishop to the new priest of special grace, which he will enjoy throughout his life.

The main divine service in Orthodoxy is called the liturgy (from the Greek "worship"), at which the sacrament of communion (Eucharist) is performed. Divine services in Orthodoxy are longer than in other Christian denominations, since they include a large number of rituals. In most Orthodox Churches, services are conducted in the national language, in the Russian Orthodox Church - in Church Slavonic.

Orthodoxy attaches great importance to holidays and fasts.

The most revered holiday is Easter. The 12 most significant holidays of Orthodoxy: the Lord's, the Presentation, the Annunciation, the Transfiguration, the Virgin, the Entry into the Temple of the Virgin, the Assumption of the Virgin, the Trinity (Pentecost), the Lord's Entry into, the Ascension of the Lord, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Nativity of Christ.

There are four fasts (multi-day) in Russian Orthodoxy: before Easter, before the day of Peter and Paul, before the Assumption of the Virgin and before Christmas.

Church hierarchy in Orthodoxy

The church hierarchy originates from the Christian apostles, providing continuity through a series of ordinations. Only men are ordained. The priesthood has 3 degrees: bishop, presbyter and deacon. There is also an institution of monasticism - the so-called black clergy. There is no single center for world Orthodoxy. Now there are 15 autocephalous (independent) churches: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Helladic (Greek), Albanian, Polish, Czech lands and Slovakia, American and Canadian.

Orthodoxy in the world

Orthodoxy is practiced by approximately 220-250 million people, which is one tenth of the entire Christian population of the planet. Orthodox believers make up the majority or a significant part in countries such as:
- - 99.9% - 11291.68 thousand people
- - 99.6% - 3545.4 thousand people
- Romania - 90.1% - 19335.568 thousand people.
- Serbia - 87.6% - 6371.584 thousand. people
- - 85.7% - 6310.805 thousand people
- - 78.1% - 3248 thousand people
- - 75.6% - 508.348 thousand people
- Belarus - 74.6% - 7063 thousand people.
- - 72.5% - 103563.304 thousand people
- Macedonia - 64.7% - 1340 thousand people.
- - 69.3% - 550 thousand people
- - 58.5% - 26726.663 thousand people
- Ethiopia - 51% - 44,000 thousand people.
- Albania - 45.2% - 1440 thousand people.
- - 24.3% - 320 thousand people

Peoples professing Orthodoxy

Among the peoples professing Orthodoxy, the following prevail:
- East Slavs(Russians, Ukrainians).
- South Slavs (Bulgarians, Macedonians, Serbs, Montenegrins).
- Greeks, Romanians, Moldavians, Abkhazians.

Many peoples living in the Russian Federation: Nenets, Komi, Udmurts, Mordovians, Mari, Karelians, Veps, Chuvash, Yakuts, Koryaks, Chukchi.

Relations between the Orthodox Churches and the State

The relationship between the Orthodox Churches and the state develops differently everywhere. During its long history, the Orthodox Church has existed in different countries under different political regimes. She was dominant as in the Byzantine or Russian empires, was persecuted, as in the times of the Commonwealth, in the Balkans during the time of Turkish domination. Today, Orthodoxy is the state religion only in (according to Article 3 of Title II of the Greek Constitution). The canons forbid persons of holy orders "to enter the government of the people," that is, to hold public office. Orthodox priests can give advice to politicians, but they themselves should not be in secular structures.

The attitude of Orthodox churches to other religions

The relationship of the Orthodox churches to other religions was also built quite difficult. The primates of the Orthodox Churches, who gathered for the solemn joint service in Bethlehem on January 7, 2000, issued the following statement: "We are turning to other great religions, especially to the monotheistic religions - Judaism and Islam, with the readiness to create favorable conditions for dialogue with them in order to achieve a peaceful coexistence of all peoples... The Orthodox Church rejects religious intolerance and condemns religious fanaticism, no matter where it comes from."

However, significant difficulties exist in the relations of specific religious organizations. So, for example, there is still some tension in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Vatican. Also, the local Orthodox Churches do not recognize the so-called autocephalous Churches that are not recognized by the local churches of world Orthodoxy. We are talking, for example, about such organizations as: Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate); Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church; Montenegrin Orthodox Church; Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church; Macedonian Orthodox Church.

The attitude of Orthodoxy to business

The attitude of Orthodoxy to business is expressed rather conditionally. The position of the Church towards the economy in general and towards entrepreneurship in particular is not expressed as clearly as, for example, in Islam or Protestantism. The purpose of life Orthodox person this is, first of all, the salvation of the soul, and not the production and sale of material values. But, in general, Orthodoxy has nothing against enrichment if:
1. Business is of a production nature and is perceived by the entrepreneur himself as a creative process;
2. Business is accompanied by labor as a creative and educational process;
3. The businessman generously donates to charity.

In itself, wealth in Orthodoxy does not have a blessing, it is possible only in the case of righteous use.

The attitude of Orthodoxy to medicine and

The attitude of Orthodoxy towards medicine and science is typical of most traditional orthodox church organizations, that is, very cautious. Previously, frankly obscurantist views prevailed, based on the thesis that "everything is a consequence of sin, and it is possible to be cured only by cleansing yourself." Over time, the attitude of the Orthodox towards medicine has changed and as a result has evolved to the recognition of a medical feat. Some innovative areas, such as cloning or genetic engineering, are perceived very negatively by the Orthodox. More recently (in the 30s and 40s of the 20th century), the Russian Orthodox Church actively disapproved of research in the field of nuclear energy and even the construction of a metro.