Christianity in Russia
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Christianity in Russia is the most widely professed religion in the country. The largest tradition is the
The Catholic Church estimates that there are from 600,000 to 1.5 million Catholics in the country, exceeding government estimates of about 140,000.[2][3][4] There is one Catholic Archdiocese, Mother of God at Moscow, with three suffragan dioceses (Saint Clement at Saratov, Saint Joseph at Irkutsk, Transfiguration at Novosibirsk) and the Apostolic Prefecture of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.[5] According to the Slavic Center for Law and Justice, Protestants make up the second or third largest group of Christians in Russia, with approximately 3,500 organizations and more than 1 million followers. A large number of missionaries operating in the country are from Protestant denominations.[2]
Christianity was the religious self-identification of 47.1% of the Russian population in 2012.[6] Other polls give different results: In the same year 2020 the Levada Center estimated that 63% of Russians were Christians;[7] in 2020 the Public Opinion Foundation[8] estimated that 63% of the population was Christian; in 2011 the Pew Research Center estimated that 71% of Russians were Christians;[9] in 2011 Ipsos MORI estimated that 69% of Russians were Christians;[10] and in 2021 the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) estimated that ~67% of Russians were Christians.[11]
The Russian "law on non-governmental organizations" that took effect in April 2007 requires
Demographics
According to a 2012 survey held in Russia by Sreda Arena, 66,840,000 people in the country (47.4% of the total population) identify as Christians.[18]
This includes:[18]
- 41.1%—58,800,000 members of the Russian Orthodox Church;
- 4.1%—5,900,000 people identifying as Christians without belonging to any church;
- 1.5%—2,100,000 people believing in Orthodox Christianity without belonging to any Orthodox church or belonging to non-Russian churches;
- 0.3%—400,000 Old Believers;
- 0.2%—300,000 Protestants;
- 0.1%—140,000 members of the Catholic Church;
- 0.1%—140,000 Pentecostals
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure. Each church and its attendees constitute a parish (prikhod). All parishes in a geographical region belong to an eparchy (eparkhiya—equivalent to a Western diocese). Eparchies are governed by bishops (episkope or archierey). There are around 130 Russian Orthodox eparchies worldwide. As of February 2, 2010, the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has 160 dioceses including 30,142 parishes served by 207 bishops, 28,434 priests and 3,625 deacons. There are 788 monasteries, including 386 for men and 402 for women.[20]
Some eparchies are organized into
According to Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University and other researchers, up to several hundred thousands of Orthodox believers were repressed for their faith in the Soviet period.[21]
Old Believers
Old Believers are Russian Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow. They split from the mainstream Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century.
In 1971, the
As of 2006, the total number of Old Believers is estimated from 500,000 to 1 million, some living in isolated communities to which they fled centuries ago to avoid persecution. An Old Believer parish in the
Oriental Orthodoxy
Long historical ties with
Catholic Church
As of 2008, the
Relations with the Russian Orthodox church have been difficult for nearly a millennium, and attempts at re-establishing Catholicism have met with opposition. Pope John Paul II expressed a desire to visit Russia, but the Russian Orthodox Church resisted.[25] In April 2002, Bishop Jerry Mazur of Eastern Siberia was stripped of his visa, forcing the appointment of a new bishop for that diocese.[26] In 2002, five foreign Catholic priests were denied visas to return to Russia, construction of a new cathedral was blocked in Pskov, and a church in southern Russia was shot at.[27] On December 25, 2005, Russian Orthodox activists planned to picket outside of Moscow's Catholic Cathedral, but the picket was cancelled. Despite easing of relations with the election of Pope Benedict XVI, there remain issues such as the readiness of the police to protect Catholics and other minorities from persecution.[28]
One thousand Russian Catholics gathered in the Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Moscow to watch the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. He had previously given an 18th-century copy of the famous Our Lady of Kazan icon to the Russian Orthodox Church.[citation needed]
Russian Byzantine-Catholic Church
There are also
Protestants
Some Protestants, especially at the provincial level, report government restrictions and obstruction of their activities by local authorities. In April 2007, the
According to Evangelical Christians Baptists who conducted a bicycle
Restorationism
Certain Christian denominations consider themselves to have
Jehovah's Witnesses
Zion's Watch Tower (now called The Watchtower, the primary journal of the Watch Tower Society) had subscribers in Russia as early as 1887. In 1935, the Watch Tower Society unsuccessfully attempted to establish a branch office in the Soviet Union to support members already there. By 1939, thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses were residing in the Baltic states when the Soviet Union absorbed those formerly independent countries. In the 1940s, the Soviet government forcibly dispersed thousands of Witnesses, in a program named Operation North, later described by Dr. N. S. Gordienko, a professor at Herzen University as having "just the opposite of what was expected; they wanted to weaken the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in the USSR, but in fact, they only strengthened it". In the 1950s and 1960s, Jehovah's Witnesses were tracked, infiltrated, harassed, and persecuted by the Soviet government. By 1971, there were more than 4,500 Witnesses in the Soviet Union. When the denomination was formally recognized in March 1991, the organization reported 15,987 members in Russia. Beginning in 1993, Witness missionaries from Germany were assigned to Russia to support the local members. By 2014, Jehovah's Witnesses reported over 170,000 members in Russia.[37]
On March 23, 2017, the
"Russian Mormons"
In 1855 in the
Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had primitive beginnings in the Russian Empire. Joseph Smith called George J. Adams and Orson Hyde as missionaries to Russia in 1843, 13 years after the Church's creation.[48] However, the death of Smith occurred, and Adams and Hyde never traveled to Russia. The first Russian converts were baptized in the nation in 1895. They were then imprisoned after the October Revolution in 1918. The Church had some contact with the Soviet Union, such as Ezra Taft Benson visiting Moscow in 1959 and Yuri Dubinin visiting Utah and the Brigham Young University campus in April 1990. The Book of Mormon was translated into Russian and published in 1981. The Church was able to reestablish its presence in Russia in 1990,[49] and the Russian government officially recognized the Church in May 1991.[48] Membership grew in the 1990s and early 2000s,[50] and by 2009, the Church reported membership of 19,946 in 129 congregations in Russia.[49] According to the Church's website, no membership statistics are currently available.[48] The Church's proselyting efforts were impacted by the 2019 Yarovaya law;[51] missionaries are now referred to as "volunteers" and cannot speak openly about the Church outside of official Church sites.[52] In 2018, Russell M. Nelson announced at the April General Conference of the Church that a temple would be constructed in a major city in Russia.[citation needed]
Bible translation
Translation of the Bible into Russian began in the 16th and 17th centuries. However, the works (by deacon of Posolsky Prikaz Avraamiy Firsov, pastor E. Gluk, and archbishop Methodiy (Smirnov)) were lost during political turbulence and wars.[citation needed]
Russian Bible Society
Full-scale
The opening ceremony of the Russian Bible Society in Moscow was visited by representatives of
Makarios Bible
Mikhail Iakovlevich Glukharev, known as
New World Translation
In 2002, the Watch Tower Society released the Holy Bible (with New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures) in Russian.[56] The complete New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in Russian was released in 2007.[57]
See also
- Russian Orthodox Church
- Catholic Church in Russia
- Protestants in Russia
- Russian Synodal Bible
References
- ^ Religion and mass media Institute of Russia site
- ^ a b US State Department Religious Freedom Report on Russia, 2006
- ^ http://c2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PHOTO/OGONIOK/2012/034/ogcyhjk2.jpg Archived 2017-03-20 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL image file]
- ^ "Главная страница проекта "Арена" : Некоммерческая Исследовательская Служба "Среда"".
- ^ GCatholic Directory
- ^ Arena - Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia. 2012 National Survey of Religions in Russia. Sreda.org
- ^ "ВЕРА В СВЕРХЪЕСТЕСТВЕННОЕ" (in Russian). Levada Center. 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Об оскорблении религиозных чувств" (in Russian). Фонд Общественное Мнение, ФОМ (Public Opinion Foundation). 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe". Pew Research Center. 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Views on globalisation and faith" (PDF). Ipsos MORI. 5 July 2011. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2013.
- ^ "Великий пост — 2021" (in Russian). Levada Center. 21 April 2021.
- ^ Eekhoff Zylstra, Sarah (21 July 2016). "Russia Bans on Evangelism is Now in Effect". Christianity Today. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Bennett, Marc (15 September 2016). "A New Russian Law Targets Evangelicals and Other 'Foreign' Religions". Newsweek.
- ^ "Russia: USCIRF Condemns Enactment of Anti-Terrorism Laws". 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Christianity in Russia".
- ^ Kumar, Anugrah (30 April 2017). "Russian Man Caught Playing Pokémon in Church Could be Sentenced to Prison for 'Inciting Religious Hatred'". The Christian Post.
- ^ "Russia Tier 1 USCIRF Recommended Countries of Particular Concern (CPC)" (PDF). April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia". Sreda, 2012.
- ^ 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017. Archived.
- ^ (in Russian)Доклад Святейшего Патриарха Кирилла на Архиерейском cовещании 2 февраля 2010 года patriarchia.ru February 2, 2010
- ^ N.E.Emelyanov, "How many repressed in Russia suffered for Christ", Pravmir, in Russian
- ^ New Armenian Cathedral Opens in Moscow
- ^ Catholic Dioceses in Russian Federation, GCatholic site
- ^ "Russian Catholics back religious education at school". Russian News and Information Agency. June 19, 2006.
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(help) - ^ Kishkovsky, Sophia (July 3, 2006). "Putin warns of 'clash of civilisations' at Moscow religious summit". Ecumenical News International.
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(help) - ^ Myers, Steven Lee (July 9, 2002). "Church Dispute Festers". New York Times.
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(help) - ^ Kishkovsky, Sophia (September 13, 2002). "Archbishop Appeals To Rights Groups". New York Times.
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(help) - ^ "Whose side are police on? Russian Christians ask". Catholic World News. June 7, 2006.
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(help) - ^ Seventh-day Adventist Church Number Two in Russia, Worldwide Faith News, August 1998
- ^ Quakers in Russia site
- ^ "Moscow Church Spearheads Russia Revival". Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ Protestantism in Postsoviet Russia: An Unacknowledged Triumph
- ^ Felix Corley and Geraldine Fagan. "Growing Protestants, Catholics Draw Ire". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ Chandler, Diana (April 28, 2017). "Religious Freedom Dying in Russia". Baptist Press.
- ^ Baptist Union of Russia site, News
- ^ "Russian court bans Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist group". EJ Insight. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ 2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. p. 184.
- ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia suspended over extremism". TASS. March 23, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "RUSSIA:Jehovah's Witnesses banned, property confiscated".
- ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses banned, property confiscated".
- ^ "UN experts called on Russia to stop lawsuit against Jehovah's Witnesses". 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Russia Religion News". Archived from the original on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
- ^ "Russia: Court Bans Jehovah's Witnesses". hrw.org. 20 April 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "Helsinki Commission Condemns Pending Legal Action Against Jehovah's Witnesses". 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ Le Miere, Jason (21 April 2017). "Russia's Jehovah's Witnesses Ban Shows 'Paranoia' of Vladimir Putin's Government". Newsweek.
- ^ "UN experts called on Russia to stop a lawsuit against".
- ^ Litvinova, Dasha (2024-03-07). "Putin's crackdown casts a wide net, ensnaring the LGBTQ+ community, lawyers and many others". World News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ a b c Nechiporova, Elena. "Russia - Facts and Statistics". Mormon Newsroom. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ a b "Country information: Russia". LDS Church News. February 1, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ Friedlander, Emma. "Russian Mormons Search for Identity and Acceptance in an American Church", The Moscow Times, 26 February 2019. Retrieved on 3 April 2020.
- ^ "Russia Chapter - 2019 Annual Report" (PDF). United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ Luxmoore, Matthew (30 Dec 2018). "Keeping The Faith: With Missionary Work Banned, Mormons In Russia 'Just Making Friends'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ "Russian Bible Society, in Russian". Archived from the original on 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
- ^ "History of Russian Bible Society, in Russian". Archived from the original on 2007-08-19. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
- ^ "A Hidden Treasure Comes to Light", The Watchtower, December 15, 1997, pages 22-27
- ^ "Announcements", Our Kingdom Ministry, February 2002, page 7
- ^ "Russia", 2008 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©2007 Watch Tower, page 237
External links
- Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church official website
- Catholic Church in Russia, on GCAtholic
- Institute for Bible translation in Russia/CIS Archived 2014-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
- Shubin, Daniel H. History of Russian Christianity, in 4 volumes: ISBN 978-1365408458.