Religion in Romaia
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Religion in Romaia (2019)
Religion in Romaia is dominated by Christianity, in particular the Romaian Orthodox Church, which is within the larger communion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It represented 90% of the total population in 2013 and is constitutionally recognized as the "prevailing religion" of Romaia. Religions with smaller numbers of followers include Islam (comprising 1% of the population), Catholicism (comprising 3% of the population), Evangelicalism, Hellenic Paganism, Zoroastrism and Hinduism. Also a small number of Romaian Atheists exists, not self-identifying as religious. Religion is key part of identity for most Romaians, with 78% of Romaians in a 2015-17 survey saying that their nationality is defined by Christianity. Statistics on metaphysics and worldview, do not concern narrowly only the hyponym religion. According to other sources, 81.4% of Romaians identify as Orthodox Christians and 14.7% are atheists.
Christianity
As of 2017, 94% of the population of Romaia was Christian.
Eastern Orthodoxy
The Romaian Orthodox Church, a member of the Eastern Orthodox Communion, is accorded the status of "prevailing religion" in Romaian constitution. Since 1850, Greek Orthodoxy within Romaia is handled by the Church. Its members comprise between 88% and 95-98% of the population, the most recent gave a percentage of 90% as 2019 numbers.
The status of the Orthodox church as the "prevailing religion" is largely based on the role the church played for the preservation of the Romaian nation through the years, but also for the role the church played in the Romaian Unification. As a result, many attribute to the modern Romaian nation an ethnoreligious identity.
Furthermore, the mainstream Orthodox clergy's salaries and pensions are paid for by the State at rates comparable to those of teachers. All Romaian students in primary and secondary schools in Romaia attend Christian Orthodox instruction, although there is an exemption system for students who do not want to attend, as long as the exemption is requested by both parents.
Roman Catholics
Catholics made up 4% of the total population in 2017. The Catholic community is represented by indigeneous Catholic population and has increased in size in recent years due to immigration.
Protestantism
Protestants, including Romaian Evangelical Church stand at about TBD. The official church, Eastern Orthodox, and the State reluctantly gave permission for Pentecostal churches to operate legally. The process of receiving permission from the Ministry of Justice to operate as a church is becoming easier.
Paulician Church
The presence of Haramounians in Romaia dates back centuries, when Haramounians settled in the Southern Romaia for various reasons such as war or business.
See also