The hardest thing about Orthodoxy is living in a non-Orthodox country

General information

Christianity is the most widespread religion in the world and the only religion whose adherents live in all 232 countries of the world[14] (according to the methodology of the World Christian Encyclopedia (2000) and the Encyclopedia of World Religions (2004) - in all 238 countries of the world[15] [2]). At the beginning of the 21st century, only 116 cities in the world (with a population of more than 50 thousand) did not have a single functioning Christian church[16]. In 2015, there were over 4.3 million Christian local churches and places of worship worldwide[13]. Every year the number of churches increases by 50 thousand.[17] Christian services are attended by 1.5 billion people[18], including 600 million weekly[19].

However, despite its global influence, Christianity is considered the most persecuted religion in the world. The authors of the Blankenburg Proclamation claim that more than 200 million Christians are persecuted for their beliefs[20]. Similar figures are contained in the report of the British intelligence service MI6[21]. The number of those persecuted apparently includes 124 million Christians from 63 countries who are forced to hide their faith (the so-called “crypto-Christians”)[22].

Throughout history, more than 70 million Christians became martyrs, and 45 million of them died in the 20th century[23]. In the 21st century, every year the number of those killed for faith in Christ increases by 100 thousand people[24].

The majority of the world's Christians (64%) live in cities. There are 408 million Christians living in the diaspora (outside their country of origin).[25] The average age of a Christian is 30 years[26]. At the same time, 565 million modern Christians are children under 15 years of age. Life expectancy for a Christian corresponds to the world average of 68 years (2001). According to the Human Development Index, Christians are higher than “non-Christians” (0.73 and 0.58, respectively)[27]. Similarly, Christians have higher literacy rates than non-Christians. 88% of adult Christians and 81% of adult Christian women can read and write (for “non-Christians” the literacy rate is 78% and 60%, respectively)[27].

Multinational Orthodoxy

Icon of all saints

What is more important than nationality

Today it seems to us that we are carriers of an international idea. That the time has finally come when the boundaries between states and cultures are erased, and we can safely travel from one country to another. We consider this a great achievement of our time.

But have we never read the Old Testament, which unfolds before us a grandiose picture of events taking place in the territory from Ararat to Ur, from Jerusalem to Kittim, from Lebanon to Egypt and from Sinai to Mesopotamia? And haven't we read the New Testament? Didn’t the Magi who came from the east, from Persia, bow to the Savior? And didn’t Joseph, Mary and the Christ child flee to Egypt from the wrath of Herod? Didn't He grow up in Capernaum, where there was a Roman centurion and a Jewish synagogue, and educated people spoke Greek? Did not the Lord pass through Samaria and visit the coasts of Tire and Sidon? Was He not judged by Pontius Pilate, who ended his days in Gaul?

And haven’t we read about the day of Pentecost, when Jerusalem was filled with people of different nationalities gathered for the holiday, and the disciples of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke in different languages, and all those present understood them? Don’t we know how much the Apostle Paul traveled, what countries he visited while preaching Christianity, how his ship was wrecked off the coast of Malta, and how the days of his earthly life ended in Rome? Hasn’t the tradition of the Church preserved for us the story of how the twelve apostles went to preach to all corners of the then known world: to India and Ethiopia, Armenia and Britain?

Icon of St. Simeon in the Cathedral of Trier.

Orthodoxy is not a nationality, but a civilization. From the very beginning the Church was national and continued to remain so: St. Athanasius of Alexandria (+373) was exiled to Trier in Germany; in the same 4th century, Saint Chrysolius[1] from Armenia suffered martyrdom in Flanders; Saint Martin of Tours (+397) was born in Pannonia (modern Hungary), grew up in Italy and became a saint in western France; in the 5th century, Saint Gregory moved from Milan to Alexandria and became Bishop of Omir in the Arabian Desert (known as Gregory of Omirite, commemorated on December 19/January 1); Saint Abraham[2] (+ c. 480) was born on the banks of the Euphrates, but became abbot of Auvergne in Gaul; the Irishman Saint Columban (+615) first visited England, then labored in the territory of what is now Luxembourg, and reposed in Italy; the Greek Saint Theodore of Tarsus (+690) lived for some time in exile in Rome, and later became Archbishop of Canterbury; in the 10th century, Saint Daniel (later took the name Stephen; +975, commemorated December 17/30) from the city of Cadiz left his native Spain and went to Rome, then to Constantinople and Jerusalem, and ended his days in Egypt; in 1001 the relics of a holy bishop from Persia named Ivo[3] were found in the English town, which has since been called St. Ives; Saint Simeon of Trier[4] (+1035) was born in Syracuse, but lived in Constantinople, near the Jordan River, Bethlehem, and Sinai, before going to Normandy and then Trier. The historical past of the Orthodox Church is rich in such “international” examples. Here are some more stories that prove it.

Yemen and Ethiopia

IN

Stained glass window in the Church of St. Chrysolium in the city of Comines, whose patron he is revered.

1st century AD The kingdom of Aksum spread over a vast territory along the Red Sea coast, connecting the mountainous regions of Northern Ethiopia with Yemen in Southern Arabia. It existed until the 11th century. Since the beginning of the 6th century, the state religion of Aksum was Christianity. But already a century and a half earlier, the kingdom of Aksum was actually a powerful Christian state, competing for influence in Northeast Africa and the Red Sea with the Byzantine Empire. In the 11th century, the Aksumite kingdom collapsed, and the Christian Ethiopian kingdom was created on part of its lands.

Wales and Ireland

There are legends that in the 4th century a tribe called the Des moved from south-eastern Ireland to Wales. Thanks to these settlers, who maintained contact with their Irish relatives, elements of Roman-British culture came from Wales to Ireland: from that time on, a number of Latin words appeared (borrowed) in the Old Irish language. Another element was Christianity: Irish settlers lived near the city of Caerleon on the River Ask, where the holy martyrs Julius and Aaron suffered under Diocletian[5]. It can be assumed that it was from south Wales that Christianity first came to Ireland.

Basque country

Church of St. Chrysolia in Comines, Belgium.

In the Spanish city of Calahorra, early Christian martyrs have long been revered, as evidenced by the poem “Peristephanon” by the Roman Christian poet Prudentius (348 - ca. 410). It is believed that this work, praising the martyrdom of early Spanish and other saints, was written on the occasion of the consecration of the cathedral of Calahorra (circa 400). This work is the earliest literary evidence of the veneration of Christian martyrs. Almost everything we know about Prudentius, who held high government positions at the court of the Roman emperor (Honoria or Theodosius I the Great), and at the age of 57 retired to a monastery, is known from his autobiographical poems. The frequent mention of saints associated with Zaragoza has given some researchers reason to assume that the poet was from this city. But it is most likely that he was born in Calahorra. According to written evidence from the 10th century, Prudentius' body rested in the monastery of St. Prudentius on Mount Latours.

Britannia

The departure of the Roman legions from Britain after 406 left the country without a centralized authority. The rich ruling elite went with them. Apparently, the withdrawal of troops occurred quickly, and those leaving, not having time to take all their property with them, hid it in the ground. This is evidenced by treasures found in large quantities by scientists during archaeological excavations in East Anglia. For example, a treasure found in the village of Hoxen, Suffolk, consisted of 14,600 gold and silver coins stored in wooden chests, tableware, including 78 silver spoons, a woman's gold necklace weighing 250 grams and other jewelry. A collection of heavy armbands of multinational, "barbarian" work worn by officers throughout the Roman Empire indicates that the owner was not a secular nobleman, but a military commander.

The famous gate of Porta Nigra, Trier.

In cities with “pointed towers and gates that rose ominously into the sky,” built by the Romans, the townspeople who lived under imperial rule, including Christians, remained. High walls protected them from Celtic raids, and it seemed to them that they could take care of themselves and did not need the protection of the empire. But the appearance of Saxon mercenaries, who came to Britain at the invitation of the British themselves, proved fatal. The Saxons continued to arrive, and in the country, divided into several regions, there was no government that could somehow control this process. Following the Saxons, the Angles and Jutes poured onto the island from the coasts of what is now Holland, Belgium and northern France. Later missionaries from Ireland and Rome would convert these pagan settlers to Christ.

Austria and Slovenia

Saint Severin of Norica, one of the patron saints of Austria. Seal of Cologne Cathedral, 13th century

The Passau garrison on the territory of modern Austria held out until the end after the conquest of this part of the Roman Empire by the Germans. In the second half of the 5th century, a monastery was founded here by Saint Severin. One day, several soldiers of the garrison went to Italy to receive allowances. Not far from the garrison, near the river, they were killed by barbarians who attacked from an ambush. At this time, Saint Severin, who was reading a book in his cell, suddenly closed it and sighed sadly. “The river is now red with blood,” he said and began to cry. And at that moment the news came that the bodies of the soldiers had washed ashore.

Saint Severin was a man of open borders. Hiding his name, he came to the Celtic kingdom of Norik in 454 to settle there as a hermit. Some mistook him for a runaway slave, but Severin was fluent in Latin and Greek, and was very educated, which betrayed his aristocratic Roman origin. Until his death in 482, the saint moved along the Danube from one walled town to another, preaching repentance, collecting tithes for the poor and establishing shelters for the needy.

Based on the fact that the cities along the Danube were surrounded by walls, it is safe to assume that they were built by the Romans. These were small towns with small Christian communities. For example, the church in the city of Lorsch accommodated approximately 200 believers (the cathedral in Gaul, built at the same time, accommodated 5 times more people). After the devastation of these lands by Attila, only representatives of noble and wealthy Christian families were able to emigrate to Italy. For centuries, the graves of ordinary “Roman” Christians could be seen next to the Church of St. Severin in Lorsch.

In these lands, Christianity, practically devoid of ecclesiastical authority, became literally the religion of the people, to such an extent that the memory of early Christian practices, such as public repentance, is preserved in Slovenian folk songs to this day. In the remote alpine regions of Norik, far from the banks of the Danube, large basilicas were built following the example of the temples of northern Italy for a long time after the death of Saint Severin. These regions were a place of active pilgrimage, so next to each church there was a hotel for those wishing to venerate the shrines.

The famous pilgrimage centers of that time were spread over a vast territory. Among them are the Church of St. Alban in Britain, the Church of St. Martin in Tours, the new monastery of St. Simeon the Stylite (who corresponded, by the way, with St. Genevieve of Paris) in northern Syria, and the monastery of the Great Martyr Mina in El Alamein in Egypt.

Constantinople, Gaul, Ireland and Spain

The spread of Christianity in Europe led to the spread of Mediterranean, especially Byzantine, influence on all aspects of life of the ancient Franks, Visigoths, and British. Historians who study costumes clearly confirm this. A striking example is the “St. Bathilde's Shirt”, kept in the monastery of St. Bathilde in Chelles near Paris: it is a fragment of a linen shirt with a decoration embroidered in four colors around the neck in the form of a necklace with a cross and pendants.

Remains of a Roman amphitheater at Caerleon-on-Usk, Wales.

Saint Bathilda.

It is not known for sure whether the chemise actually belonged to Saint Bathilda[6], but, according to research, chronologically it belongs to the period of her life. The most interesting thing for us here is that pendant necklaces were a fashion adopted from Byzantium. Empress Theodora, wife of the holy emperor Justinian (reigned from 527 to 565), is depicted with such a necklace in mosaics in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. The embroidered decoration on the clothes of Saint Bathilda clearly speaks of the fashion adopted by Europe from Byzantium. In England we encounter a similar borrowing: we are talking about a necklace with a cross and a pendant, found in a grave dating back to about the year 700 in Desborough, Northamptonshire.

In his Life of Saint Brigid, compiled in 650, the Irish monk Cogitos[7] describes the "hanging crowns" - another import from Constantinople - that hung in the church of Saint Brigid in Kildare. We can imagine what we are talking about by looking at the crown of the Visigothic king Reccesvint (reigned from 649 to 672), found in Guarrazar in Spain. Now this crown can be seen in Madrid.

India, Africa, Persia, China, Himalayas and England

Saint Martin of Tours

The geography of exotic goods brought to England in the 7th and 8th centuries was incredibly wide. A reliable story has reached us about the death of the Venerable Bede: among the “small gifts” that the saint distributed to friends before his death were, for example, “pepper and incense.” The pectoral cross of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, which is kept in Durham Cathedral, has a garnet in the center and a shell from the Red Sea or Indian Ocean. The saint's personal liturgical comb was made from ivory quarried in India or East Africa. When the relics of Saint Cuthbert were transferred to the shrine in 698, 11 years after his death, they were wrapped in silk brought from Constantinople, to which it came from Persia or China. And as for the famous “Gospels from Lindisfarne”, the lapis lazuli that was used to create them was brought from the distant Himalayas!

Morocco

The Moorish leaders of the lands on which modern Morocco and western Algeria are located called themselves “kings of the Moorish and Roman peoples,” because Berber mountaineer warriors and Latin-speaking inhabitants of the cities lived in the territories under their control. The Roman style of city council government persisted in the city of Volubilis (the southwesternmost city of the former Roman Empire) near the Atlantic coast of Morocco until the 650s. Moorish rulers adopted Latin names. For example, the Berber ruler who held back the Arab armies at the end of the 7th century was named Caecilius. This name was very common throughout Africa - the same name was given to the holy martyr Cyprian of Carthage at birth.

Ruins of Volubilis.

With the advent of Islam in the Maghreb countries, everything changed. But by this time, knowledge of Christianity had penetrated far into the oases of the Sahara, as evidenced, for example, by the word “tafaske”, which in the Tuareg language means sacrifice, which comes from the name of the main Christian holiday - Easter. It’s hard to believe, but in the small oases of the Sahara, Latin was spoken at least until the 11th century.

Pope Leo IX (1048-1056), in his letter to Bishop Thomas of Carthage in 1053, greatly complained that in all of northern Africa by that time there were only 5 bishops. But in the time of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (354-430), there were more than 600 of them! Over the years, these remaining communities died out. But in Gafsa, in modern-day Tunisia, research has shown that a small community of Christian Berbers survived (almost incredibly) until the 15th century.

Spain and Palestine

In the 9th century in Spain, the Christian couple Aurelius and Sabigoto (Sabigoto converted to Christianity from Islam, taking the name Natalia in baptism) sold their lands and estates and began to live at the Tabanos monastery near Cordoba. The spouses Felix and Liliosa did the same. They were joined by monk George, a monk of the famous Palestinian monastery in honor of Saint Sava the Sanctified, founded in the 5th century between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. All five were later brought to trial and, having publicly rejected Islam, were sentenced to death. They were executed in July 852, and all five became martyrs for the Christian faith (they are commemorated on July 27/August 9).

From Iona to Iceland

Catholic Church of Saints Julius, Aaron and David of Wales, Caerleon-on-Usk.

A Viking named Orligr Hrappsson was raised by Bishop Patrick of the Hebrides. When, around 880, Orligr wished to leave for Iceland, Bishop Patrick ordered him to build a temple there in the name of St. Columba of Ajona, providing it with wood, a bell, a missal and consecrating the ground in the place where the corner columns of the temple should have stood. Orligr fulfilled the bishop's blessing and built a temple in honor of St. Columba near Reykjavik.

Hungary

The Hungarians frequently attacked Macedonia and Thrace, twice appeared before the walls of Constantinople, and once even advanced south to Attica in Greece. In the 920s, a cleric named Gabriel was sent on a missionary mission to the Magyars, but no information has been preserved about how it ended. About 20 years later, a delegation of Magyar nobility came to Constantinople. At the same time, one of the Hungarian leaders, a leader named Bulchu, was baptized. Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (reigned from 945 to 959) became Bulchu's godfather. The newly baptized received expensive gifts and (which was a rare badge of honor) the imperial title of patrician. On the pages of the magnificent manuscript of John Skylitzes (chronicler of the 11th - early 12th centuries), now kept in Madrid, an image of this event has been preserved: Emperor Constantine is soaring in the air above the font, from which his new godson is about to emerge.

But as soon as Bulchu returned to his homeland, he immediately fell away from faith in Christ and went to war against his Christian neighbors. He was one of the organizers of the raid on Germany, which was successfully repulsed in 955 at the Lech River. Bulchu was captured. Being an apostate from the faith, he could not expect mercy. Indeed, Otto I (German King (936-962), later Holy Roman Emperor (962-973)) ordered his execution by hanging in Regensburg.

Relief of St. Simeon of Trier on the wall of the Porta Nigra Museum in Trier.

A few years after Bulcsú's baptism, another Hungarian tribal leader named Gyula was baptized in Constantinople. Returning to his people, Gyula brought with him a monk named Hierotheos,[8] whom the Patriarch of Constantinople ordained as bishop of the Hungarians. We know that in subsequent years Gyula lived in peace with the Byzantine Empire, and Bishop Hierotheus led many Hungarians to Christ.

Orthodox influence among the Magyars, which continued for another 2 centuries, was concentrated mainly in the eastern half of the lands they inhabited. To the north lay the border with Transcarpathian Russia, where the Slavic Orthodox Moravian mission flourished.

Unity in diversity

These examples show us that the church has always been and remains a model of unity in diversity, for we worship the triune God - one God in three persons. Such unity in diversity can only be found in the church. Outside the church, we see either disunity and conflict, or uniformity imposed from above. Christian unity has nothing to do with disunity or uniformity. And the saints who worked in different countries, always putting faith above nationality, carried out their ministry, respecting the characteristics and cultural traditions of those peoples whom the Lord appointed them to preach.

Only when the modern world understands this will we be able to escape the two main trends of our time: globalism and conflict. Although globalism is synonymous with internationality, it is also anti-national and conflict-generating. Globalization destroys national identities and national sovereignties, thereby fueling nationalism and hatred of other peoples. On the contrary, the world should work to cultivate love, starting with love for one’s native country, and then love for other countries and peoples. All this is possible if we remember that faith is more important than nationality and that God created us and all the good things that surround us.

Historical review

Spread of Christianity by 325 Spread of Christianity by 600

Christianity arose in the 1st century AD. e. and spread very quickly throughout the Roman Empire. According to legend, by the end of the 1st century the new teaching reached Spain in the west and India in the east. By the year 100, the total number of Christians amounted to 800 thousand people[28]. Of this number, half of the Christians lived in Asia, 310 thousand in Europe and 90 thousand in Africa[29]. By the time of recognition in 313, the Christian religion united more than 14 million people or 7.3% of the world population. By 600, every fifth inhabitant of the planet (40.4 million) was a Christian; half of Christians (20.2 million) still lived in Asia. Since the 8th century, as a result of Islamic expansion, the number of Christians in Asia has been rapidly declining (by the 16th century, only 3.23 million Christians remained in the region). By the 10th century, the number of Christians in Europe exceeded those in Asia; from then to this day, Europe has been the leader in this indicator[29].

Since 600, the proportion of Christians in the total population of the planet (20%) has remained virtually unchanged for a thousand years. Only since the 17th century, thanks to Catholic missions in America, Asia and Africa, the percentage of Christians in the world population begins to grow. This growth especially accelerated with the intensification of Protestant missions (1800s). By the beginning of the First World War (1914), Christianity had reached its historical peak - 34.7% of the world's population were Christians [30]. At the same time, ok. 70% of Christians lived in Europe. The ensuing two world wars, rapid population growth in non-Christian countries, and the emergence of socialist states in Eastern Europe reduced the share of Christians in the world population.

It is estimated that from the time of Jesus Christ until today, 36.8 billion people have lived on Earth. Of these, 8.8 billion (24%) professed Christianity[6]. In the first thousand years of the existence of Christianity, the number of believers in the “Eastern Churches” (later formed into Orthodoxy and the Ancient Eastern Churches) noticeably prevailed over the number of believers in the “Western Churches”. In the second millennium of the history of Christianity (1000-2000), its largest branch was Catholicism.

Europe Orthodox

Orthodoxy spread in Western Europe primarily as a result of mass emigration that occurred between the two world wars. We are talking, firstly, about 2.1 million people who emigrated from Russia after the revolution of 1917: many of them went to America, but many also settled in Europe (France, Germany, Great Britain). Secondly, after the death of Asia Minor Greece (1922-1923), Greek emigrants also appeared here. The influx of Orthodox Christians continued after World War II: a new wave of emigration came to Europe from behind the Iron Curtain. Then, in the 1960s and 70s, emigrants from Syria and Lebanon appeared, and finally, a new influx of emigrants from Romania and Serbia (as well as from Russia and Ukraine) followed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Yugoslavia. The Orthodox emigrants were joined by native Europeans who discovered the spiritual treasures of Orthodoxy through communication with emigrants. Such converts to Orthodoxy include theologians Olivier Clément and Elisabeth Ber-Sigel. Many descendants of emigrants in the second, third, fourth generation themselves became Europeans, and only faith connects them with their native culture. About the church structure in Orthodoxy Each Orthodox community abroad remains under the jurisdiction of its “native” patriarchate (Arabs - Antioch, Greeks - Constantinople, Russians - Moscow, etc.). This situation conflicts with the principle of church structure, according to which there cannot be more than one bishop in one diocese: in Europe, many Orthodox jurisdictions coexist on the same territory (see statistics below). In Paris alone there are six Orthodox bishops! At the same time, since the 1930s, Orthodox Christians in Europe have realized that their emigration is not a short-term phenomenon and that the Eastern Church needs to show its active presence in the West. The idea of ​​creating a local Orthodox Church arose. However, it was only in the 1960s that the Orthodox Brotherhood in Western Europe was organized, with the goal of “working for the unity of the Orthodox, regardless of their nationality and jurisdiction, to bring the Orthodox faith into existing society.” Since then, significant changes have occurred in the life of Orthodox Christians in the West. Thus, in 1967, the Orthodox Interbishopric Committee was created in France, which in 1997 became the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of France. Through this body (and bodies created on its model in other countries) interaction between different jurisdictions is carried out. However, the final decision on the Orthodox diaspora still remains a distant prospect: it must be made by the Pan-Orthodox Council, the convening of which has been talked about since the 1960s... Last October, at a meeting (in Greek “synaxis”) in Istanbul, the primates of the Orthodox Churches declared that they wished “to speedily correct all canonical anomalies caused in the so-called Orthodox diaspora by historical circumstances and pastoral needs, and to overcome all influences alien to Orthodox ecclesiology " To discuss this extremely complex issue, two meetings are planned to be held on the island of Rhodes, in May and October of this year. What is stopping the unification? While Orthodox Christians in the West are increasingly striving to create a local Church, in their homeland they are going through a difficult period of recovery from the communist regime (in Slavic countries) or the difficult political situation remains (in the Middle East). Therefore, the Orthodox Churches have more pressing problems than organizing the European diaspora. Often Mother Churches are not ready for the separation of their foreign communities. As one French Orthodox said: “Patriarchates such as the Constantinople exist only thanks to the diaspora. And if it is taken away, what will remain in this patriarchy?” In addition, the increase in emigration encourages the Churches of some countries (for example, Romanian, Serbian and Russian) to strengthen their jurisdictions in the West. As Nicolas Behr, head of the Orthodox Brotherhood, explains, these Churches “don’t want to lose contact with emigrants. “The question before us,” Behr continues, “is how to create a local Church without severing ties with each Mother Church.” At the same time, new emigrants (whose communities are often led by highly educated priests) themselves begin to get involved in the situation and ask questions about the local Orthodox Church. Finally, there is another difficulty: relations with the Catholic Church. The Moscow Patriarchate was very disapproving of the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in Russia. According to Nicolas Ber, “the new Patriarch Kirill perceives the Pope as the patriarch of the West, who does not want to give official status to an Orthodox organization that opposes him in dialogue.” In fact, the principle of “one bishop in one city,” which implies the inadmissibility of the existence of Catholic jurisdictions in “canonical Orthodox territories,” can be turned against the Orthodox themselves in their attempts to create their own organization in the West. At the same time, many Orthodox Christians perceive the creation of a local Church in Europe only as a transitional stage on the path to the hoped-for reunification of Catholics and Orthodox Christians - both in the West and in the East. Nicolas Senez Orthodox communities in Europe Statistics There is no exact data on the number of Orthodox Christians in Western Europe; various estimates differ. Below are data on the total number of Orthodox Christians (excluding jurisdiction) in individual countries: Germany - about 1.2 million France - from 300 to 500 thousand, including a significant intellectual layer, for example, graduates of the St. Sergius Institute in Paris Italy – from 200 to 600 thousand Great Britain – from 250 to 300 thousand Switzerland – 132 thousand Belgium – from 70 to 80 thousand Sweden – from 50 to 60 thousand The Netherlands – 20 thousand

Jurisdictions

In Western Europe, 6 patriarchates have their jurisdictions: the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (it includes the Greeks and those Russians who separated from the Moscow Patriarchate in 1930), the Patriarchate of Antioch (Arabs), the Moscow Patriarchate (Russians, including members of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia , which separated from Moscow in 1920 and reunited with it in 2007), Serbian Patriarchate (Serbs), Romanian Patriarchate (Romanians), Bulgarian Patriarchate (Bulgarians), Georgian Church Orthodox Churches and the European Union The growth of the European Union has led to the fact that included countries with traditionally Orthodox populations. Thus, within the EU were: the Greek Orthodox Church (since 1981), the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has jurisdiction over the dioceses of Crete and Rhodes (since 1981), the Finnish Autonomous Church (since 1995), the Cypriot, Czechoslovak and Polish Churches , Moscow Patriarchate (dioceses in Latvia and Lithuania), Estonian Autonomous Church (since 2004), Romanian and Bulgarian Patriarchates (since 2007)

In Russia, they know well the Europe of tourism and the Europe of shopping, but, unfortunately, they know little about the Europe of pilgrimage. These are shrines associated with the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos, the relics of the saints of God, the places where Christianity was established with the blood of martyrs... In fact, Europe is the space in which the early history of our Church unfolded. Pilgrims were people who went on a journey on foot to places associated with the earthly life of the Savior, or to great shrines, or to monasteries - along various routes, but invariably with one goal - to draw their hearts closer to Christ. There was a custom to go on a pilgrimage if there is a burden on the soul from a sin committed - and there is a need to cleanse the soul and bring repentance. We would like to note three important points: the Lord gives us the opportunity to come into contact with shrines - visible particles of what, in fact, no longer belongs to this world. (Hundreds of people flock to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to pray at the Crown of Thorns of the Savior, who was on To its Head, almost two thousand years later, it is proof of the Lord’s suffering for us. In the Cathedral of the French city of Chartres, the Plath of the Blessed Virgin Mary is kept, and in the German city of Aachen, the shrouds in which the newborn Divine Infant was wrapped are kept. In the French city of Amiens, the front part rests openly Chapters of the Baptist of the Lord John). Secondly, Europe is very hospitable to pilgrims from Russia: there are many shrines in the West, but here the tradition of such deep veneration has not been preserved as in the Russian Orthodox Church. People do not worship them, they rarely have prayer services. The visits of our pilgrims provide an example of a different, warmer, more reverent attitude towards the relic.

The places that pilgrims visit are holy places that have become famous thanks to miracles performed by God, the Mother of God, saints, or are associated with events in the history of the Orthodox people and the lives of saints. Here we talk about the most significant shrines of European countries for Orthodox culture. It must be said that the Christian tradition of Europe and its Orthodox component is one of the most difficult topics in pilgrimage tours. Shrines of Austria: Vienna - Cathedral in the name of St. Stephen the First Martyr, “Vienna Grail” (Holy Chalice taken from Constantinople). Shrines of Bulgaria: Rila Monastery - the relics of St. John of Rila, the icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria". Bachkovo Dormition Cave Monastery is a miraculous icon of the Mother of God. Ivanovsky Lom is a complex of rock monasteries with frescoes. Shrines of Germany: Cologne - the relics of the Holy Magi (Cologne Cathedral), Trier - the Chiton of Jesus and the relics of St. Equal to the Apostles Queen Helen (Cathedral of St. Peter). Shrines of France: Amiens - the relics of the Holy Prophet the Baptist and John the Baptist, Paris - the relics of St. Dionysus the Areopogite and St. Mary Magdalene, the Crown of Thorns of the Savior. Marseille - Abbey of Saint-Victor, temple of Notre-Dame de la Garde (Our Lady of the Protector). Reims - Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Shrines of Spain: Valencia - Holy Chalice (Grail) in the Cathedral. Escorial is a palace and monastery ensemble with the cathedral church of St. Martyr Lawrence and the “Chapel of Relics” - a unique collection of the relics of seven thousand Christian saints. Santiago de Compostela - Cathedral with the relics of St. James the Apostle of Zebedee. Shrines of Cyprus: Larnaca - temple in the name of St. Lazarus of the Four Days, resurrected by the Lord. Paphos is a temple on the site of the sermons of the apostles Paul and Barnabas, the catacombs of ancient Christians. The Holy Places of Cyprus include the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary (11th century). Here, in the iconostasis of the cathedral church, there is a miraculous image of Our Lady of Mercy (Kikkotissa), which, according to legend, was painted by the Evangelist Luke during the life of the Mother of God. Now this monastery is the basis of all Greek culture in Cyprus. Shrines of Malta: Apostle Paul's Bay - a temple on the site where the Apostle and his companions left the shore after a shipwreck. Rabat - the cave in which the Apostle Paul and the Evangelist Luke lived, the catacombs of St. Catald. Shrines of Montenegro: Cetinje Monastery - the relics (hand) of John the Baptist, a particle of the Holy Cross, Ostrog - the relics of St. Basil of Ostrog. Shrines of the Czech Republic: Prague - the relics of Vyacheslav of Prague and Lyudmila.

Bishop of Vienna and Austria HILARION (Alfeev). Orthodoxy in the new Europe: problems and prospects In the minds of many people, Europe is associated primarily with the Catholic and Protestant traditions. Recently, Islam has been added to them, which has become the object of close attention of the media, trying to predict the consequences of the growth of supporters of this religion in European countries. Little is thought and said about Orthodoxy and its role in the formation of European identity. Even the term “orthodox” itself is more likely to be associated with Judaism than with Christianity. Meanwhile, Orthodox Christianity has been and continues to be an integral part of European identity for centuries. This is confirmed both by the number of Orthodox believers living in the countries of the Old World, and by the contribution that Orthodox Christianity has made and continues to make to the development of European culture and spirituality. Statistics There are fifteen autocephalous Local Orthodox Churches in the world, the number of members of which, according to some sources, is approximately 226,500,000. Of these, three (Alexandrian, Jerusalem and American) are not represented in Europe. They, however, make up only 6 percent of the total number of Orthodox Christians worldwide. The remaining 94 percent - 209,000,000 - live in Europe. The majority of believers in eleven European countries belong to the Orthodox tradition: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, Greece, Cyprus, Macedonia and Georgia. In many other European countries - in particular, in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Albania - Orthodox Christians constitute a significant minority. The largest number of Orthodox believers live in Eastern Europe. Of the Western European countries, two are Orthodox - Greece and Cyprus. However, in those countries of Western Europe that do not belong to the Orthodox tradition, at least two million Orthodox believers live. Structure of the Orthodox Church In the West, there is an opinion according to which the Orthodox Church, structurally, constitutes a kind of eastern analogue of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Patriarch of Constantinople is perceived as an analogue of the Pope, or as an “Eastern pope”. Meanwhile, the Orthodox Church has never had a single head: it has always consisted of autocephalous Local Churches, in prayerful and canonical communion with one another, but deprived of any administrative dependence on one another. The Patriarch of Constantinople is traditionally considered the first in honor among the 15 heads of the autocephalous Local Churches. Until 1054, the right of primacy in the Universal Church was enjoyed by the bishop of Rome, while the bishop of “Second Rome” (Constantinople) occupied second place in the diptych. After the division of the Churches, the first place in the Orthodox world passed to the Patriarch of Constantinople, who, since Byzantine times, received the title of “Ecumenical&!” raquo;, which, however, does not have any administrative implications and does not indicate any universal jurisdiction. Some Western media call the Patriarch of Constantinople “the spiritual leader of the 300 million Orthodox population of the planet,” but there is no sufficient basis for such a name. The Orthodox population of the planet, unlike the Catholic population, does not have a single spiritual leader: for the members of each Local Church, the spiritual leader is its primate. For example, for the 160 million-strong Russian Orthodox Church, the spiritual leader is His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The absence of a single administrative center in the Orthodox Church is due to both historical and theological reasons. Historically, this is due to the fact that none of the primates of the Local Orthodox Churches, either in the Byzantine or post-Byzantine era, had the same rights as the Pope had in the West. Theologically, the absence of a single head is explained by the principle of conciliarity, which operates in the Orthodox Church at all levels. This principle presupposes, in particular, that each bishop governs the diocese not independently, but in agreement with the clergy and laity. In accordance with the same principle, the Primate of the Local Church, being, as a rule, the chairman of the Synod of Bishops, governs the Church not individually, but in cooperation with the Synod. However, the absence of a unified administrative system in the Orthodox Church also has its negative sides. One of the problems it creates is the impossibility of appealing to a higher authority in all cases when a conflict arises between two Local Churches. Another problem generated by the absence of a single administrative center in the Orthodox Church is the impossibility of resolving disagreements between the Churches on the issue of pastoral care of the so-called “diaspora” - the Orthodox dispersion. The essence of the problem is as follows. Based on the 28th canon of the Council of Chalcedon, which grants the bishop of “new Rome” the right to appoint bishops for “barbarian lands,” the Patriarchate of Constantinople claims the right of ecclesiastical jurisdiction over those countries that do not belong to the Orthodox tradition. Other Local Churches, however, have their own disapora in Europe and beyond. For example, the Russian diaspora includes hundreds of thousands of Orthodox believers, the majority of whom belong to the Moscow Patriarchate. In addition to the Russian and Greek diasporas, in Europe there are also Serbian, Romanian and Bulgarian diasporas, each of which is nourished by bishops and clergy! irikami of their Local Churches. The issue of pastoral care for the diaspora can only be resolved by a Pan-Orthodox Council. Preparations for such a Council were carried out quite intensively over thirty years (from the 1960s until the early 1990s), but are currently suspended due to disagreements between the Churches. I would like to hope that the Pan-Orthodox Council will still take place and that the issue of pastoral care for the diaspora will be resolved to the mutual consent of the Orthodox Churches. Church schisms Along with the canonical (i.e. legal) Orthodox Church, there are many alternative structures in the world that call themselves Orthodox. In church language, these structures are called “schismatic.” At the moment, the most numerous alternative structures to the canonical Orthodox Church are the so-called “Old Calendarists” in Greece and the “Filaretists” in Ukraine. Ukrainian “autocephalists” are significantly less numerous. The church schism in Bulgaria and the division that has been going on for eighty years among the believers of the Russian Orthodox Church in diaspora deserve special mention. The concept of “schism” is absent in the modern political lexicon, as well as the concepts of “canonicity” or “non-canonicality” in relation to a particular Church. A secular state (and all European states are such) in most cases does not distinguish between canonical and non-canonical Churches, giving both equal rights to exist and providing the opportunity for the Churches themselves to solve their internal problems. At the same time, in the modern history of Europe there have been cases of direct support of schismatics by secular authorities. For example, the “Filaret” split in Ukraine was supported by the then President of the Republic L. Kravchuk, which allowed the split to gain significant momentum. Bulgarian schismatics in the early 1990s were also supported by the then Bulgarian authorities. In both cases, support for the schism by the secular authorities had the most disastrous consequences for the development of the religious situation. In Ukraine it continues to remain extremely tense. In Bulgaria, on the contrary, the schism was actually overcome thanks to, firstly, the cessation of support from the secular authorities, and secondly, the coordinated actions of the Local Orthodox Churches, whose representatives at the Council in Sofia in 1998 convinced the schismatics to repent and return to the fold canonical Church. As harmful as the direct intervention of the state in the internal problems of the Churches is and as harmful as the state’s support for one or another schism is, the state’s acting as an independent and disinterested mediator between the two sides of an inter-church conflict can be just as useful and effective. For example, during a visit to the United States in October 2003, Russian President V. Putin conveyed to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Metropolitan Laurus, an invitation from His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus' to visit Russia to discuss the issue of overcoming the schism that occurred in the 1920s. purely political reasons. Similar invitations to dialogue were addressed to the leadership of the Church Abroad before, but remained unanswered. In this case, the invitation was gratefully accepted. On November 18-19, an official delegation of the Church Abroad visited Moscow and met with His Holiness the Patriarch! hom and other leading hierarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate, and in May 2004, the head of the Church Abroad, Metropolitan Laurus, arrived in Moscow for official negotiations on reunification. On June 22, 2004, the work of a joint commission began to overcome existing differences between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Church Abroad. Such progress would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. I would like to hope that the negotiations will lead to the complete restoration of Eucharistic communion between the two “branches” of the Russian Church. Orthodoxy and the expansion of the European Union At the moment, new opportunities are opening up for the Orthodox Church in connection with the expansion of the European Union. Until this time, the Union included only one Orthodox state - Greece, which S. Huntington in his acclaimed book “The Conflict of Civilizations” described as an “anomaly”, as “an Orthodox outsider among Western organizations.” With the expansion of the EU, Orthodoxy will cease to be an outsider in it, since three more countries of the Orthodox tradition will become members of the Union: Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus. In addition, the Union will include countries with a significant Orthodox diaspora, such as Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia. All this will strengthen the position of Orthodoxy on the territory of the European Union and significantly expand the possibilities of Orthodox witness in the new Europe. After the listed countries join the Union, the number of Orthodox communities located on its territory will amount to tens of thousands! , and the number of believers is in the tens of millions. In the future (albeit very distant) future, it is possible that a number of more Orthodox states, such as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Serbia and Albania, will join the European Union. It seems important that now, when the identity of the new Europe is just being formed, when legislative documents are being created that will determine the face of the European Union, the Orthodox should take an active part in the dialogue with European political structures. It is important to avoid the monopoly of one ideological system, which would dictate conditions to all residents of the EU, including those belonging to traditional religious confessions. Currently, there is a real threat that Western liberal ideology will be declared the only legitimate model of social order in a united Europe. This ideology does not imply the active participation of churches and religious associations in public and political life. She perceives religion as a purely private matter of individuals, which should not in any way affect their behavior in society. This understanding, however, contradicts the missionary imperative of most religions, including, of course, Christianity. Christ created the Church not only for “private use,” but also so that its members could be active members of society, defending traditional spiritual and moral values ​​in it. Therefore, there is a need for constant dialogue between religion and the secular world. The Orthodox Church can play an important role in this dialogue. It is very important that churches and religious associations have the right to organize their lives in accordance with their traditions and charters, even if the latter conflict with Western liberal standards. It is unacceptable to impose secular norms on religious communities. For example, if a church does not recognize the female priesthood, it should not be subject to any sanctions aimed at changing its traditional position. If a church condemns "same-sex marriage" as sinful and contrary to Scripture, that church should not be accused of being intolerant and hate-mongering. If a church opposes abortion or euthanasia, it should not be filibustered as backward and anti-progressive. There are many other areas in which the positions of the traditional churches (primarily the Orthodox and Catholic) will differ from Western liberal standards, and in all of these areas! the right of churches to preserve and preach their traditional values ​​must be ensured. In order not to be unfounded, I will cite as an example the debate that flared up in the Orthodox world after in January 2003 the European Parliament voted to lift the ban on women visiting Mount Athos, a semi-autonomous monastic republic in northern Greece, where no woman had set foot for a thousand years. years. This ban, according to the European Parliament resolution, violates the “universally recognized principle of equality of the sexes,” as well as laws regarding the free movement of all EU citizens on its territory. Commenting on the position of the European Parliament, Greek Minister of Culture E. Venizelos compared the status of Athos with the status of the Vatican, noting that the latter, being members of the Council of Europe, is represented in it exclusively by men. “The ban on women visiting Mount Athos and the administrative rules of the Catholic Church, as well as the rules of other churches and all similar issues, are elements of tradition that the EU should perceive with tolerance! yu and the pluralistic attitude characteristic of European civilization,” Venizelos emphasized. The Russian Orthodox Church watches with interest the development of the “European project” and, through its Brussels Representation to the EU, takes an active part in it. Being a supranational Church, represented on the territory of the European Union by several dioceses, hundreds of parishes and hundreds of thousands of believers, the Moscow Patriarchate attaches great importance to the process of European integration, which, in our opinion, should lead to the creation of a multipolar Europe where the rights of religious communities will be respected. Only in this case will Europe become a true home for churches and religious associations, including the Orthodox Church.

Main directions in Christianity

Most Christians (95%) identify with one Christian denomination or another; the remaining 119 million who consider themselves Christians do not belong to any church[14]. Among the latter, a significant number are crypto-Christians who are forced to hide their faith. It should also be noted that approx. 170 million Christians are simultaneously registered in two or more Christian denominations[14]. Among these are many Latin Americans who were baptized in Catholicism, but converted to Protestantism at a conscious age.

Catholicism

Just over half of all Christians (more than 1.2 billion) consider themselves Catholic. At the same time, the vast majority of Catholics are part of the Roman Catholic Church (1.214 billion[31]). This number also includes Catholics of the Eastern rites (17.4 million[32]).

Catholics of the Eastern Rites

Other Catholics

At various times, over a dozen groups, conventionally called “non-Roman Catholics,” separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Among non-Roman Catholics, the most prominent groups are Conservative Catholics (6 million)[33] and Old Catholics (0.4 million)[34].

Protestantism

Main directions of Christianity

The second (in terms of the number of believers) direction of Christianity is Protestantism. Currently in the world there are approx. 800 million Protestants[35][36][37]. In 92 countries of the world, Protestantism is the largest denomination of Christianity, including in 49 countries Protestants make up the majority of the population[38]. Protestants usually include:

• historical Protestant churches (Anglicans, Lutherans, Reformed churches);
• Protestant denominations that arose within the framework of post-Reformation movements (Baptists, Methodists, Adventists, Pentecostals);
• parishioners of United Protestant and non-denominational churches;
• believers of independent African movements;
• other denominations (the New Apostolic Church and some others, whose affiliation with Protestantism is a controversial issue).

Major Protestant movements

The number of main Protestant movements (over 4 million parishioners) can be seen in the table:

United Churches

United churches are churches formed by the merger of different Protestant denominations - Lutherans, Anglicans, Reformed, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Quakers, etc. In most cases, the merger was voluntary, in some cases it was imposed by government authorities (Chinese Christian Council, Church of Christ in Congo). The United Churches number 75 million believers in their ranks, and the process of uniting different Protestant groups continues.

List of large united churches (over 1 million parishioners):

Formally, the Church of Christ in the Congo (25.5 million[52]) also belongs to the united churches. The Church is a federation of 64 autonomous Protestant unions, each of which is usually considered separately; data on the number of believers of the constituent parts of the Church of Christ in the Congo are included in the corresponding denominations.

Orthodox and ancient Eastern churches

The third major trend within Christianity conventionally unites believers of the Orthodox and Ancient Eastern churches. This group can be divided into three subgroups: canonical Orthodoxy (180-227 million), other Orthodox groups (17 million) and pre-Chalcedonian churches (70 million).

Autocephalous (canonical) Orthodoxy

By the number of believers, the 15 autocephalous churches are located as follows (together with parishioners of autonomous and self-governing churches):

Other Orthodox groups

Spread of Orthodoxy in the world

Approximately 17 million Orthodox believers belong to churches and movements that are not recognized by world (canonical) Orthodoxy. Conventionally, they can be divided into:

• Old Orthodox movements (Old Believers of all agreements and interpretations, 2.5 million[56]);
• Old Calendar churches (4 million, more than 30 movements);
• Unrecognized national and independent autocephalies (10 million, 75 movements[15]);
• Reformed Orthodox churches (charismatic, liberal, eschatological and esoteric groups).

Ancient Eastern churches

Currently, the ancient Eastern churches are divided into two different groups:

1) Nestorians who refused to recognize the Third Ecumenical Council and, accordingly, all subsequent Ecumenical Councils. Today the Nestorians are represented by two organizations:

• Assyrian Church of the East - 500 thousand[57].
• Ancient Assyrian Church of the East - 55 thousand[58]

2) Monophysites and Miaphysites, who abandoned the dogmatic definitions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council - the Council of Chalcedon. Therefore they are called pre-Chalcedonian churches. This group includes:

• Armenian-Gregorians: Armenian Apostolic Church - 9.3 million (including the Etchmiadzin Catholicosate - 8 million[59] and the Cilician Catholicosate - 1.3 million[60]);

• Jacobites: Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church - 2 million [61]);
• Independent Jacobite Church of Malabar - 21 thousand[62];
• Syro-Jacobite Orthodox Church - 1.43 million[63];

• Copts, Ethiopians and Eritreans: Coptic Orthodox Church - 12 million[64];
• Eritrean Orthodox Church - 2 million[65];
• Ethiopian Orthodox Church - 39 million[66].

• Reformed Monophysites: Church of St. Thomas - 1.5 million[67]

Marginal Christianity

The fourth direction in Christianity includes groups of para-Christianity that are not connected with each other (33 million believers). These are various groups of Mormonism (15 million), Jehovah's Witnesses and splinter groups from them (16.5 million including children[68]), followers of Christian Science, British Israelites, Christadelphians, Swedenborgians and some others.

Largest Christian churches and denominations

The list includes the largest churches and denominations of all Christian denominations:

Who's who on the Orthodox world map

At the final stage of granting autocephaly, we decided to talk about the Universal Church, or more precisely, about the churches of the Diptych (general list). This is also necessary in order to understand the further process. After receiving the Tomos, the next stage comes - acceptance or non-acceptance of the new church. Even in the second case, if some church is not in a hurry to recognize us, this will not affect our canonical status. Who is who on the Ukrainian church map, how are the likes and dislikes of our Orthodox sisters distributed today?

The Orthodox Church has 300 million believers. It has no centralized authority or leadership, but is a constellation of independent and equal national churches, where the Ecumenical Patriarch is revered as “first among equals.” To him belongs the primacy of honor and service.

The Church consists of several self-governing patriarchates and is a kind of interethnic federation, within which each local church maintains its independence.

The title “patriarch” is used to refer to the primates of the Orthodox churches. In ancient times, it applied only to the leaders of the five ancient Churches, the so-called pentarchy, the list of which was codified during the reign of Justinian. Later, this designation was extended to the Metropolitan of Moscow (16th century), the Archbishops of Serbia and Bulgaria (beginning of the 20th century) and the Primate of the Romanian Church (mid-20th century). The Georgian Church calls its primate the term “Catholicos”.

After the split with the Catholic Church, Constantinople took first place.

GIVES A CHANCE AND WAITS WITH LOVE

Constantinople Orthodox Church.

The department (in secular vocabulary - the capital) is located in Istanbul.

Photo: Elena Turchenyuk, Ukrinform

Jurisdiction extends to eastern and central Turkey, Crete, Patmos, all Greek churches in Europe, South America, Australia and Asia and in areas of Greece liberated from Turkish occupation after the Balkan War, including Crete and Macedonia, the Ukrainian, Carpatho-Russian and Albanian Orthodox Churches churches in the USA and Canada.

It has 3,200 parishes and more than 5 million believers.

The mission of Constantinople, according to its hierarchs, is chairmanship, initiative and coordination. It is the Church that fulfills the duty of convening in agreement and constant consultation with other Local Churches.

Constantinople is the mother church, the court of appeal and the source of autocephaly for all new churches, and in 2018 it responded to Ukraine's request for autocephaly.

WILL BE LIMITED TO PROTEST STATEMENTS

Alexandria Church.

Her department is located in Alexandria (Egypt).

Jurisdiction – countries of Northern, Central and Southern Africa.

Annunciation Cathedral in Alexandria. Photo: wikipedia

According to some sources, it has 65 dioceses and 1000 parishes. Internet sources write about 250-300 thousand believers in Egypt and over six million people in Africa.

The jurisdiction of the patriarchate extends to 57 African countries. But exactly how the African Orthodox were considered is not known.

The attitude towards autocephaly is more or less predictable. Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore is a long-time friend of the Russian Orthodox Church; for seven years he was the representative of the Alexandrian throne to the Russian Orthodox Church, which left its mark. He stated that he considered Ukraine an inseparable part of the Russian Orthodox Church. He visited Odessa at the end of September, served a liturgy with the local bishop - the main representative of the Kremlin lobby of the UOC-MP - and delivered a sermon on the need to stay within the fold of the UOC-MP. Usually such trips are associated with financial motives, but Patriarch Theodore has close and friendly ties with Patriarch Kirill. Analysts do not believe that the patriarch will break with Constantinople, as Moscow is calling for. Rather, everything will be limited to protest statements.

WILL NOT GO TO BREAK

Antiochian Orthodox Church.

The center of the Antiochian Church is located in Damascus.

Cathedral in Hama, Syria. Photo: wikipedia

Its jurisdiction: Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait; a number of dioceses in Europe, North and South America, Australia.

Features of the situation: The Patriarchate of Antioch is a church with tangible Russian influence, the church of warring Syria, which has decided on its support for Bashar al-Assad, tying itself even more seriously to Russia.

The attitude towards autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church is predictable; it does not support autocephaly in Ukraine. But he will not agree to a split with Constantinople.

SUPPORTS THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

Jerusalem Orthodox Church.

Has jurisdiction over: Israel, Jordan and Palestine. An autonomous part of the Church of Jerusalem is the Archdiocese of Sinai with the monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine on Mount Sinai.

Photo: wikipedia

Her department is in Jerusalem.

Features of the situation: Jerusalem receives millions of pilgrims from Russia, and this is a powerful financial flow. Jerusalem monasteries and shrines also receive financial assistance from the Russian Federation.

However, when a conflict between the Russian Orthodox Church and Constantinople occurred, the Jerusalem Patriarchate turned to Constantinople with a request for holy chrism (special oil - a necessary component of divine services). This request was accompanied by a statement about the inviolability of the connection between Jerusalem and Constantinople.

DECLARED CANONICAL WAR ON THE UNIVERSAL

Russian Church with its center in Moscow. Its jurisdiction is Russia, Belarus, partly Estonia and Moldova, it claims jurisdiction over Ukraine, the countries of Central Asia, South America, Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand.

Photo: wikipedia

The Russian Orthodox Church does not keep records of the number of its members or attendance at services, but claims 34,700 parishes.

The Moscow Patriarchate considers its “canonical territory” (the term was coined in 1989) to be the territory of many sovereign and independent states. As a result, its administrative-canonical divisions, located in different countries, function in different state-legal, socio-political and confessional-cultural conditions.

The Russian Orthodox Church has now actually declared canonical war on the Mother Church and has banned concelebration with her for its clergy and communion for its faithful.

CONSIDERS CONSTANTINOPLE'S DECISION "NON-CANONICAL"

Serbian Church with pulpit in Belgrade.

Jurisdiction: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Croatia, considers Macedonia and Montenegro (which deny this) to be their canonical territory.

Photo: Roman Sushchenko, Ukrinform

It has 3,500 parishes.

Has its own characteristics. The Serbian Church - a church with a once imperial identity - is grieving the loss of the latter.

It is united by close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Consequently, in its position regarding Ukrainian autocephaly, the Serbian Church consistently shows its rejection.

DOES NOT INTERRUPT COMMUNICATION WITH CONSTANTINOPLE

Romanian Church . Her department is in Bucharest.

Jurisdiction extends to Romania and Moldova.

Photo: wikipedia

It has 11,700 parishes.

The position on autocephaly is restrained. The Romanian Church twice repeated the neutral formula, calling on Constantinople and Moscow for dialogue. This position “above the fray” is actual support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It is interesting that at the end of November a big event for the Romanian Church will take place in Bucharest - the consecration of the new national cathedral in honor of the Ascension of the Lord and St. Apostle Andrew. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been invited to the celebrations, who has already seemingly confirmed that he will come to Bucharest. This means that Romania does not interrupt its communion with the Mother Church.

HAVE YOU CREATED A SPECIAL COMMISSION TO DELAY IT?

The Bulgarian Church has a see in Sofia. Has 2600 parishes.

Its jurisdiction is Bulgaria, the Bulgarian diaspora in Western Europe, North and South America and Australia.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. Photo: wikipedia

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church was considered a church in the orbit of Moscow. However, to express her position on Ukrainian autocephaly, she created a special commission, which in itself serves as a sign that she will not urgently identify herself with Moscow. In addition, an investigation has emerged that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church withdrew from the country and accumulated several million dollars in Russian banks. Such investigations show that journalists and Bulgarian authorities are monitoring what exactly influences the position of their church.

TOOK A PAUSE AND KEEP NEUTRALITY

The Georgian Church (Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church) has a see in Tbilisi and has 550 parishes.

Its jurisdiction extends to Georgia, the Georgian diaspora in Europe, North and South America, and Australia.

Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi. Photo: wikipedia

In 1989, the autocephaly of the Georgian Church was confirmed by the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The Georgian Church behaves very carefully. She did not express an official position on Ukrainian autocephaly. Although in June one of the prominent hierarchs supported autocephaly. On the one hand, part of the Georgian church (Abkhazia and Ossetia) is under occupation. On the other hand, it has a long-standing relationship with the Russian Federation. We count on neutrality and gradual recognition of Ukrainian autocephaly.

CALLS FOR DIALOGUE WITH LOVE

The Church of Cyprus has a see in Nicosia. The jurisdiction of the church is Cyprus, where there are 630 parishes.

The Cypriot Church avoids conflict and support for the Russian Orthodox Church. She speaks from a position of love and, obviously, will not go into schism at the invitation of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Photo: wikipedia

The other day, the website of the Church of Cyprus issued a statement saying that the Church of Cyprus maintains good relations with all local Orthodox Churches, from the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the junior Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, as well as with the Holy Russian Church. The Archdiocese also urges everyone to avoid public statements with harsh headlines that will only worsen the situation. The Church of Cyprus hopes that all problems will be resolved through frank dialogue with love. In addition, she expresses her readiness to assist in this direction in any way.

SUPPORTS UKRAINE AND THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

The Greek Church has a see in Athens.

It has 8 thousand parishes and some sources talk about 8 million believers.

Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Athens. Photo: wikipedia

Jurisdiction: Greece, except Mount Athos and northern territories.

The Greek Church is represented in a country where out of 9.6 million inhabitants, 8 million are Orthodox, and the clergy have the status of government officials.

Greece was considered a country that treated Russia favorably. The scandal involving the expulsion of Russian diplomats for Russia’s attempted bribery of a Greek priest caused a stir, but it is difficult to say whether the Greek government will be resilient for long. The man who is considered the driver of the cleansing of the church - Nikos Kotzias, the foreign minister - resigned a few weeks ago. But no matter how the Greek authorities feel about the Ukrainian issue, of course, the Greek Church will support Constantinople.

WILL NOT GIVE UP THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

The Albanian Church has a see in Tirana and has 900 parishes.

Jurisdiction extends only to Albania. It is considered a church of Greek influence and Greek circle. She will most likely quickly recognize Ukrainian autocephaly.

WILL NOT GO TO CONFRONTATION WITH THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

The Polish Church has a see in Warsaw and, according to various sources, has from 240 to 437 parishes.

Jurisdiction: Poland and the diaspora in South America.

Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene in Warsaw. Photo: wikipedia

The Polish Orthodox Church supports Russia. From the beginning of the autocephalous process, the Polish Metropolitan Savva sent a letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch in which he proposed holding a Pan-Orthodox Council. At first, such indirect support from Moscow was not publicly confirmed. Which suggests that Poland will take a neutral position. And on the eve of the unification Council in Ukraine, the council of bishops of the Polish Orthodox Church supported the previously expressed position that “the church life of the canonical Orthodox Church should be based on the canons, stated that it did not recognize the restoration of the episcopal rank of the UOC-KP and UAOC and called for the convening of a pan-Orthodox council. At the same time, we do not allow the possibility that the Poles will break with Constantinople.

WAITING CAREFULLY

The Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia has a see in Pryashev and has 249 parishes.

The head of this church expressed his moderate support for the “canonical UOC-MP”, but, in general, its position is amorphous and is still being formed.

Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. Photo: wikipedia

* * *

Here are the schedules. The history of granting Ukrainian autocephaly is full of pleasant surprises, unexpected intrigues, and interesting developments. It only partially obeys the logic accepted in political, social and international relations. Everything matters here: the thought of a metropolitan or the primate of a certain church that came to him after the last evening prayer, the mood of a large monastery, the impression from the story of a Ukrainian pilgrim, and only secondarily - a long-standing friendship with Patriarch Kirill, sponsorship from Moscow (for mercy - it is not the USSR preserved, but church peace is a separate topic, this is not the Warsaw Pact), considerations of governments, geopolitics. All these factors of the second group are only additional and by no means determining. Therefore, we take this chance and... create a new church. And if we succeed, then it will simply be impossible not to come to us. Because all the saints of the Kyiv Heaven will be invited to visit.

Lana Samokhvalova

Geography of Christianity

Christianity by parts of the world

The table shows the number of Christians by part of the world (2011[70]). Christians in Russia are classified as part of Europe.

Christianity by country

Christianity is represented in all 238 countries and territories of the world. The most widespread (by number of countries of presence) Christian denominations are:

In 158 countries around the world, Christians make up the majority of the population (more than 50 percent)[38].

Nearly half of all Christians live in 10 countries (Pew Research Center, 2010[79]):

In the above data from the Pew Research Center, noteworthy is the very cautious estimate of the number of Chinese Christians (67 million) and Indian Christians (31.85 million; India was not included in the list).

Back in 2001, the publication “Operation Peace” by the British strategist-missiologist Patrick Jonestown counted 91.5 million Christians in China[80]. In 2007, according to the World Christian Database, there were already 111 million followers of Christ in China[81]. Finally, in 2010, according to J. G. Melton's Encyclopedia of Religions, there were 115 million Christians in China[82]. Taking into account the latest data, China is one of the three largest Christian countries (in terms of the number of Christians, second only to the USA and Brazil).

The number of Christians in India is also debatable. A number of publications include India in the list of the 10 largest countries by the number of Christians (instead of Ethiopia). At the same time, the number of Christians in this country is estimated at 57 million[83], 58 million[82] and even 71 million[84] believers (data for 2010).

List of countries by dominant religion

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The number of followers of different religions of the world is studied by the analytical center Pew Research . Based on surveys conducted in all countries of the world, a corresponding ranking of countries by dominant religion ( Largest religious group ) was published. It includes such popular world religions as Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and others.

Statistics show that Christianity remains the most popular religion. The second most popular religion is Islam. Thus, Christianity is the leading religion in 162 countries, Islam in 50 countries, Buddhism in 8 countries. At the same time, there are 7 countries where none of the religions is popular (the majority of the population are atheists). Also, do not forget about one country in the world where the main religion is Judaism - Israel. The table also shows data on the second most popular religion in each country. The study was conducted in 2010 (more recent data is not yet available).

See also: ranking of countries by level of religiosity

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Spread of Christianity

Christian churches and non-church organizations make significant efforts to spread Christianity to non-Christians. At the same time, a distinction is made between internal mission (service in the country of residence) and foreign mission (service outside the country of residence). According to some estimates, up to 12 million Christians serve in various national (domestic) missions. Another 400 thousand Christians serve as foreign missionaries; Christian missionaries operate in all countries of the world[85]. Foreign missionaries are supported by 5 thousand international missionary agencies. The annual budget of such agencies is $45 billion (2015)[13].

Approximately three-quarters of all Christian foreign missionaries were sent by 10 countries[85]:

The ideological basis for the missionary activity of Christians is the so-called. The Great Commission of Christ recorded in the Gospel. There, in the Gospel, Christ states: “This Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). That. the fulfillment of the “Great Commission” is associated with certain eschatological expectations and is a sign of the end of the world. In this regard, a number of Christian research centers pay close attention to statistics on the spread of Christianity. Nations and individuals to whom the teachings of Christ have never been preached are called “not evangelized” (or “not reached with the Gospel”).

Christians have achieved significant success in fulfilling the “Great Commission” only in the last two centuries. If in 1800 three quarters of the world's population (75%) were not familiar with the Christian faith, then by 1900 their share had dropped to 54%[24]. By the middle of the 20th century, for the first time in the history of Christianity, the share of those “not reached by the Gospel” dropped below 50%. The process of evangelization continues: by 1970, 45% of the world's inhabitants were not familiar with the Christian faith; in 2000, their share dropped to 30%[24]. There are currently (2015) 2.14 billion people in the world to whom the gospel has never been preached; they make up 29.3% of the world population[13].

Dynamics and forecasts

The number of Christians continues to grow. For the decade 1990-2000. Every year the number of Christians increased by 25.2 million people. Moreover, 22.7 million of this number accounted for natural increase (the difference between those born in Christian families and deceased Christians), and 2.5 million accounted for those converted to Christianity[86] (annually 19 million people converted to Christianity and ceased to be Christians 16 .5 million people). The Christian population grew (1.36% per year) more slowly than the entire world population (1.41% per year). Because of this, the proportion of Christians decreased slightly.

For the decade 2000–2010. Every year the number of Christians increased by an average of 28.1 million people. Due to the slowdown in the rate of natural population growth in the world, the increase in Christians (1.32% in 2013) is again ahead of the world average (1.18% in 2013)[24]. In this regard, the share of Christians will increase slightly (33.8% by 2025).

According to a report by Professor Todd M. Johnson in 2004, the Christian population will continue to grow in the future. In the near future (2005-2025), the relative growth of Christians (1.07% per year) will outstrip both the world average (0.99%) and the overall growth of all “non-Christians” (0.94%)[87]. In absolute numbers, the number of Christians will grow the fastest, but in relative terms, Christians (among major religions) will be inferior to Muslims (1.66% per year) and Sikhs (1.16%) [87]. By 2025, according to Johnson, the share of Christians in the total world population will be 33.6%; the number of Christians will increase on all continents except Europe.

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