The majority of Swiss are Christian, of which slightly more Catholics than Protestants. The latter belong to the Reformed Church which originated in Switzerland. One fifth of the residents say they have no religion at all. Christianity came early to Switzerland with Roman soldiers and merchants, but only in the early Middle Ages did the […]
The Swedish Church was a state church until the year 2000 and a majority of the residents still belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation. At the same time, Sweden is today regarded as one of the world’s most non-religious countries. Immigration has meant that Islam is now the second largest religion. The first Christian missionaries […]
Catholicism is no longer state religion in Spain, but is still favored by the state in some respects. Nearly three-quarters of the population count as Catholics, but just under half of them attend church regularly. During the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975), the Catholic Church was one of the most important pillars of power. With democratization after […]
Slovenia – Religion A majority of Slovenes are Roman Catholics. In addition, there are smaller groups of mainly Muslims and Orthodox Christians. Freedom of religion is constitutional and respected. In a 2002 census, 58 percent identified themselves as Catholics, while more than one in three residents did not declare any religion or call themselves non-religious. […]
Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution and the Slovakians can in practice freely practice their religion. Almost two-thirds of residents in the 2011 census said they belong to the Roman Catholic Church. There are also Protestant communities and smaller groups of Orthodox Christians, Jews and Muslims. In the census, just over one tenth […]
Most Serbs are Orthodox Christians. Religious freedom prevails and other ethnic groups can practice their religions. At the same time, the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church functions as something of a state church in practice. The Serbian Orthodox Church has great influence in society and has been able to claim a number of benefits that other […]
More than 95 percent of San Marino residents are estimated to belong to the Roman Catholic faith, which is state religion in San Marino. There are small minorities of Protestants (including Electorate), Baha’is, Muslims and Jews. The Catholic Church has a significant influence in society. Many official ceremonies are held in the great 14th-century San […]
The Russian Orthodox Church is the dominant religious community in Russia and forms a kind of national church, linked to the cultural heritage. Its head is the patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia, assisted by the Holy Synod with seven members. Among the Christians there are still some “old believers” who are in conflict […]
Nearly nine out of ten residents of Romania belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church. Over half of Hungarians in the country are Protestant Calvinists while most others are Catholics. In addition, there are also Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals and just under 10,000 Jews and about 55,000 Muslims with Turkish or Tatar backgrounds. Christianity came to Romania […]
More than eight out of ten Portuguese are Catholics, but there are also small groups of Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Jews in the country. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, and the church is separate from the state. The Roman Catholic Church has had a strong influence over Portuguese society for long […]