Catholic Church in Belarus
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The Catholic Church in Belarus is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The first Latin Church diocese in Belarus was established in Turaŭ between 1008 and 1013. In the subsequent centuries, Catholicism gradually became a dominant religion of Belarusian nobility (the szlachta) and of a large part of the population of West Belarus.
Description
According to official government data, As of 2015[update], there were 674,500 Catholics in the country, about 7.1% of the total population.[1] Figures in 2020 state that 10.58% of the population is Catholic.[2] Other surveys put the figure as much higher.[3]
Most Catholics belong to the
Polish and Lithuanian minorities in Belarus are predominantly Latin-Rite Catholics. The Greek Catholics are mostly ethnic Belarusians, with some Ukrainians.
Hierarchy
The numbers of adherents given below are self-reported by the Catholic Church as of 2009[update].[4]
One Latin
- Minsk-Mohilev- 610,490 Catholics
Three Latin suffragan dioceses:
Metropolitan Archbishop Josephus Romualdovitsche Stanevskiej has been the leader of the Latin Church in Belarus since 2021.[5] The apostolic administrator for the Belarusian Greek Catholics is the Rt. Rev. Mitred Archimandrite Jan Sergiusz Gajek, M.I.C.[6]
History
The first Latin Church diocese in Belarus was established in
In August 2020, the leader of the Catholic Church in Belarus,
In 2023, Freedom House rated Belarus’ religious freedom as 1 out of 4.[10]
See also
- Belarusian Greek Catholic Church
- Apostolic Nunciature to Belarus
- Catholic Church by country
- Religion in Belarus
- Freedom of religion in Belarus
References
- ^ "Religion and denominations in the Republic of Belarus" (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ The ARDA website, Retrieved 2023-08-01
- ^ Catholics and Culture website, Retrieved 2023-08-01
- ^ "Official site of the Catholic Church in Belarus. Statistical data 2009-03-01". Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
- ^ Vatican Press website
- ^ CatholicCulture.org website, Published 31 March 2023
- ^ Карикатура, которая будет дорого стоить: как белорусский режим делает из католиков врагов. Мнение
- ^ Belarusian Catholic Leader Returns After Forced Exile
- ^ Смотрите, нарветесь - Лукашенко предостерег от молитвы под «Магутны Божа»
- ^ Freedom House, Retrieved 2023-04-25
External links
- The Catholic Church in Belarus - official website and the central Belarusian catholic web-portal
- The Apostolic Nuntiature in Belarus
- Partał Maładych Katalikoŭ - Young Catholics of Belarus