Religious Beliefs In Romania

Romania is a unitary semi-presidential state located in the southeastern Europe and with its headquarters at Bucharest. The official language is Romanian, but there are some recognized regional languages including Armenian and Greek. The country has an estimated population of 19.5 million people and a population density of 218 persons per square mile. Romania is a secular state without official or state religion. However, the country is predominantly Christian with over 80% of the citizens identifying themselves as Orthodox Christians. Other notable religions practiced n the country include; Roman Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, and Greek Catholicism. In this article, we will discuss some of the major religious groups in the country.

Religious Beliefs In Romania

Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the largest religious groups in the country although some have asserted that the polls are exaggerated since this is the default religion. Another study indicated that most f the people who have claimed to be members of this religion rarely go to church services. About 38% said that they only went to church only on major holidays and only less than 1% went to church on a daily basis. Currently, there are about 12,000 priests in the country and over 400 monasteries. There 3,500 monks and 5,000 nuns serving in the monasteries within Romania.

Protestant Christianity

Protestants in Romania make up 6% of the total population. The majority of them are reformed, and Pentecostals make up 3% and 1.8% respectfully. Other Protestant groups include; Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and Lutheran churches among others. The Germans who live in the country are mostly followers of Augustan Confessional Evangelicals.

Roman Catholic Christianity

A survey conducted in 2011 showed that Romania has 870,774n Roman Catholic faithful which is about 4% of the total population. It is believed that the religion was introduced in the country as early as the 11^th century, in the diocese of Alba Lulia. The Catholic hierarchy was disestablished in 1103 and was later restored in the 1300s. In the 17^th century, there were religious conflicts which saw the Protestants to force a Catholic bishop fro Alba Lulia. The Catholics were the minority and the appointed bishops resided abroad fearing for their lives. Emperor Charles IV restored order in the 18^th century, and bishops came back to conduct their mandate. Today, the Roman Catholic Church in Romania runs four theological institutions, six medical schools, and a number of seminaries.

Greek Catholic Christianity

The Greek Catholic Christianity started in Ukraine in the year 988. It broke from the Eastern Orthodox Church and is currently the second largest particular Church globally after the Roman Catholic. In Romania, faithful of this religion make up about 3% 0f the total population.

Atheism or Agnosticism

Romania has no state religion, but the clergy from all registered religious groups draw salaries from the government. Therefore everybody in the country takes place in religious activity when he pays taxes. However, a very small percentage of Romanians (0.11%) are atheists. This religion is one of the lowest percentages in the Europe. Most atheists are educated young people coming from wealthy backgrounds. A survey conducted in 2005 also showed that59% of atheists live in the Bucharest with the majority of the rest also living in other urban areas in the country.

Other Religions In Romania

The freedom of worship is protected by the Romanian. Other religious in the country are Islam, Judaism, and Other Beliefs and make up 8.0% of the population.