Religion in Belarus

Estimates of the level of religiosity of the population

According to a Gallup Center study, 27% of Belarussian citizens admitted that religion plays an important role in their daily lives. By this indicator, Belarus is among the 11 least religious countries in the world ^[5] .

The total number of people identifying themselves as believers increased in the post-Soviet period, since in 1987 it amounted to only 15% of the population ^[6] , but 10 years later, following a 1997 survey, 49.4% of the population chose the option “Yes, I believe in God ” ^[7] . As of July 2010, the number of believers was 58.9% ^[8] .

According to some estimates, the number of people visiting religious buildings is 6% ^[9] .

Official data

In 2007, according to the Commissioner for Religions and Nationalities of the Republic of Belarus, about 50% of citizens attributed themselves to one or another religion, of which:

• 80% are Orthodox (about 40% of the total population)
• 14% are Catholics (about 7% of the total)
• 6% are other religions ^[10] .

In 2010, according to the Ombudsman for Religions and Nationalities of the Republic of Belarus, 58.9% of citizens attributed themselves to a particular religion, of which:

• 82.5% are Orthodox (about 48% of the total population)
• 12% are Catholics (about 7% of the total)
• 4% are other religions ^[11] .

But already in 2011, according to the Information and Analytical Center under the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus (IAC), a survey of the country's population showed that 93.5% of respondents attributed themselves to a particular religion, of which:

• 81% are Orthodox (about 76% of the total population);
• 10.5% are Catholics (about 10% of the total population);
• 2% - other religions (Judaism - 1%, Protestantism and Islam - 0.5% each) ^{[3] [8]} .

In 2012, according to the IAC, a survey of the country's population showed that 95.5% of respondents attributed themselves to a particular religion, of which:

• 83% are Orthodox (about 77% of the total population);
• 10% are Catholics (about 9.5% of the total population);
• 1.5% are other religions ^[12] .

The information-analytical center under the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus in its analytical material notes that among those who made a statement of their confessional affiliation, 21.5% of respondents were unable to give a definite answer to the question of whether they are believers. Of all respondents, 65% of respondents gave a clear answer about their faith in God. The discrepancy noted in the study about the share of those who indicated their religious affiliation (93.5%) and the share of believers (65%) demonstrates the peculiarities of religious self-identification of Belarusian citizens, which goes beyond religious behavior. Most religious scholars believe that this phenomenon is characteristic of the post-Soviet space ^[3] .

The main source of information on the confessional composition of the country is sociological research. In accordance with Article 5 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations,” no one is obliged to report on his attitude to religion and cannot be subjected to any coercion in determining his attitude to religion, to practice a religion, to participate or non-participation in the activities of religious organizations. For this reason, the issue of religion is not included as a mandatory issue in the State Census ^[13] .

Alternative ratings

Orthodoxy

There is evidence that in 2001 the proportion of believers belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church amounted to 73% (or about 37% of the total population) ^[6] .

Catholicism

According to the Catholic Church in Belarus, about 1.4 million believers (about 15% of the population) belong to it ^[14] . There are estimates of the number of Greek Catholics (Uniates) - up to 10 thousand people ^[15] .

Protestantism

There are sources that give a much higher estimate of the number of believers of all Protestant denominations - 515 024 ^[9] , Seventh-day Adventists - 4 633 people ^[16] , according to other sources - 4 828 people ^[9] , and the number of Jehovah's Witnesses is 5 014 person ^[17] .

Judaism

According to information from Jewish communities, from 30 to 40 thousand citizens of Belarus belong to Jews, however, the vast majority of Jews are not active believers ^[8] . The number of Jews according to censuses is rapidly declining, so in 1979 there were 135 thousand, in 1989 112 thousand; especially quickly, the number of Jews declined during the country's independence: by 1999, their number was reduced by 4 times (to 28 thousand) ^[18] , and in the period before 2009 even more than doubled to 13 thousand ^[19] . Nevertheless, there are sources that call significantly higher numbers of people of Jewish faith: 60 thousand ^[9] .

Islam

The number of ethnic groups traditionally attributed to Muslims, according to the 2009 census, was about 22 thousand people ^[19] . In 2014, the number of Muslims is estimated at 19 thousand (0.2% of the population) ^[20] .

Orthodoxy

The largest Christian denomination in Belarus is Orthodoxy , represented by the Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate , founded in 1989 . The exarchate includes more than 8 million believers and consists of 15 dioceses:

• Diocese of Bobruisk
• Diocese of Borisov
• Diocese of Brest
• Vitebsk diocese
• Gomel diocese
• Grodno Diocese
• Diocese of Lida
• Minsk diocese
• Mogilev diocese
• Molodechno Diocese
• Novogrudok diocese
• Pinsk diocese
• Polotsk diocese
• Slutsk diocese
• Diocese of Turov

The current exarch is Metropolitan Pavel .

History

Belarusian lands were baptized mainly simultaneously with other lands of Ancient Russia .

In 1596 , the Union of Brest was proclaimed, which laid the foundation for the existence of the Greek Catholic Church in the Republic of Belarus , which preserved the liturgical rite, but adopted Catholic dogma. In 1791, the Orthodox constituted about 6.5% of the population (up to 250 thousand people) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as part of the Commonwealth ^[22] . In 1839, the Uniate parishes were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church.

Old Believers

After the schism in the church in the middle of the 17th century, part of the Old Believers moved to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in that part that currently forms the Republic of Belarus. One of the centers of the Old Believers was Vetka . In 1791, Old Believers accounted for 4% of the population of the entire Grand Duchy of Lithuania ^[22] (that is, with the inclusion of those territories that are now part of modern Lithuania , Latvia and Russia ).

Catholicism

The Catholic Church is the second largest religious community in the Republic of Belarus . About 1.4 million people are Catholics (according to the Catholic Church itself). ^[14] , Catholicism is more common in the west of the country (primarily in the Grodno region ). Currently, Belarus is divided into 4 dioceses:

• Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese
• Vitebsk diocese
• Grodno diocese
• Pinsk diocese

Archbishop Metropolitan of Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese - Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz .

History

Although there are some arguments in favor of the possible spread of Christianity in the Latin rite in the X century ^[23] , the beginning of the active spread of Catholicism in the territory of modern Belarus is associated with the end of the XIV century. At this time, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello in exchange for receiving the Polish crown began to transfer to Catholicism the formerly pagan nobility of Zhmudi and Aukstaitija (modern Lithuania ) while creating privileges for Catholics. Over time, most of the nobility (gentry) converted to Catholicism, while most of the common population in the territory of modern Belarus remained Orthodox.

After the conclusion of the Union of Brest in 1596, the expansion of privileges for Catholics and the emergence of Jesuits in the Commonwealth, the number of people who converted to Catholicism increased. A significant role in the translation of the upper classes (some of them by this time began to profess Calvinism and anti-Trinitarianism ) to Catholicism was played by Jesuit schools that provided quality education. In the transfer of the peasantry to Catholicism (mainly in Western Belarus), the closure of the Orthodox and the opening of Catholic churches played an important role. In 1791, Catholics made up 38% of the population of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (however, ethnically Lithuanian territories, where Catholicism dominated, were also included here ^[22] .

For a long time, Belarusian Catholics were reckoned among the Poles because of an insufficiently developed sense of national identity.

Greek Catholics

In 1791, Greek Catholics made up 39% of the population of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ^[22] . According to other sources, in the 18th century, Greek Catholics made up the absolute majority (up to 70%) of the population in the territory of modern Belarus ^[24] .

In the middle of the 19th century, Greek Catholic churches were returned to Orthodoxy (see the Polotsk Cathedral of 1839 ). The Orthodox population again began to dominate.

Armenian Apostolic Church

As of January 1, 2012, one community of the Armenian Apostolic Church was officially registered in Belarus. ^[2]

Protestantism

Officially registered Protestant denominations ^[2] :

• Reformed Church
• Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Evangelical Christians Baptists
• Johana church
• New Apostolic Church
• Presbyterian Church
• Christians of the Gospel Faith
• Full Gospel Christians
• Christians of the Apostolic Faith
• Church of christ
• Messianic communities
• Seventh-day Adventists
• Mormons

History

Protestants (primarily Calvinists ) appeared on the territory of modern Belarus in the middle of the XVI century and for some time gained significant distribution among representatives of the richest nobility - magnates (for example, Nikolai Radziwill Ryzhiy , Nikolai Radziwill Black adopted Calvinism, for some time Lev Sapega was a Calvinist). The decline in the Protestant movement in Belarus is associated primarily with the vigorous activity of the Jesuits .

At present, there are 6 synagogues in the country in the cities: Minsk (2 objects), Bobruisk , Grodno , Pinsk , Gomel . According to numbers, according to various sources, from 13,000 to 28,000 Jews and 19 clergymen.

History

Judaism appeared on Belarusian lands along with the first Jews (late XIV - early XV century). For a long time, Belarusian lands were a major center of concentration of the Jewish population. According to the census of 1897, 978 thousand Jews lived on the territory of modern Belarus.

As of January 1, 2012, 25 Muslim communities were registered in the country ^[2] and there are 8 mosques in the region of the traditional settlement of Belarusian Tatars : Slonim , Novogrudok , Kletsk , Vidzy , Ivye , Smilovichi , Molodechno , Lovchitsy , Minsk ^{[25] [26]} .

History

Islam gained a certain distribution in the territory of modern Belarus with the peaceful migration of Tatars from the Crimea since the XIV century. In the XX - early XXI centuries, representatives of a number of traditionally Islamic ethnic groups of the Volga region , the Caucasus , Central Asia and some countries of the far abroad migrated to the territory of Belarus.

There is a small number of followers of Hinduism . Of the branches of Hinduism, Vaishnavism is the most common, in particular, one of the directions of Hare Krishna bhakti is Gaudiya Vaishnavism ^[2] . Hare Krishna communities operate in many large cities of Belarus. In addition, in Belarus there are followers of Shaivism ^[27] , as well as religious groups of various Hindu gurus: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ^[28] , Sai Baba , etc.

History

In Belarus, the first Hindu communities were registered in 1992 ^[29] .

Vera Bahai is one of the young religions that is officially registered in Belarus. It has its own communities in Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Mogilev and Minsk ^[2] . Today, the Minsk community has about 120 people, including children ^[30] .

History

The first Bahai community was registered in Belarus in 1992 ^[31] .

The Japanese religion Oomoto-kyo was officially registered in Minsk in 1994. The community operated until 2004, when it failed to re-register and was abolished ^[32] by decision of the Frunze District Court of Minsk. In Belarus, oomoto became famous for the Sekai financial pyramid in the 1990s , which was organized by the priest of the local oomoto community, Valery Buyak ^{[33] [34]} . It is now an unregistered community.

Buddhism

In Belarus, there are several unregistered Buddhist communities of various directions: Osho ^[35] , Theravada ^[36] , Karma Kagyu ( Lama Ole Nydahl ) ^[37] and others.

Rodnoverie

After the adoption of Christianity in the territory of modern Belarus, paganism had a certain impact on Christian ritualism, which was manifested, in particular, in the preservation of some pagan holidays ( Dzyady , Radunitsa , Kolyada , Ivan Kupala , seeing off Winter, etc.). Since the late 1980s, there has been an increase in the number of people identifying themselves as pagans ^[38] . Religion gained little development, but the movement was practically not organized in any way and was largely spontaneous. To date, not a single Rodnoverian community has been officially registered in Belarus.

Autocephalous Belorussian Orthodox Church

Nowadays, there are several religious organizations that position themselves as the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (in exile), which operate outside the country ^[39] .

Sentence to Alexander Sdvizhkov

In 2008, Belarusian journalist Alexander Sdvizhkov received three years in a maximum security colony for reprinting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2006 . In a closed trial, he was convicted under Article 130 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus “Incitement to Racial, National, or Religious Enmity or Discord,” p.1 “Deliberate Actions aimed at inciting racial, national, religious enmity or hatred, and humiliating national honor and dignity”. The newspaper Zgoda ( Russian Consent ), in which the cartoons were posted, was closed by decision of the Supreme Court in the same 2006 ^[40]

The plaintiff, chairman of the religious association Spiritual Management of Muslims of the Republic of Belarus , Mufti Ismail Voronovich, called the verdict too harsh ^[41] .

Существует документально неподтверждённая версия, согласно которой столь суровый приговор мог быть вызван желанием белорусского руководства продемонстрировать свою дружбу и поддержку президенту Исламской Республики Иран Махмуду Ахмадинежаду ^[42] , а само дело инспирировано властями с целью закрытия неугодной газеты.

Церковь «Новая жизнь»

Церковь « Новая жизнь » (христиане полного Евангелия) в минском микрорайоне Сухарево выкупила у колхоза им. Калинина коровник, отремонтировала его и переоборудовала в свой храм. Мингорисполком же признал использование недвижимости и земли общиной нецелевым и постановил лишить церковь культового статуса и недвижимости. Общине предлагалось продать помещение храма по цене около 22 тыс. белорусских рублей (около 8 USD ) за один квадратный метр. В ответ на это в октябре 2006 прихожане церкви начали голодовку ^[43] , итогом которой стало длительное судебное разбирательство. В настоящее время «Новая жизнь» продолжает тяжбу с Мингорисполкомом ^[44] , и стороны не могут прийти к консенсусу ^[45] .

«Свидетели Иеговы» и воинская обязанность

Из-за отсутствия принятого закона член общины « Свидетелей Иеговы » не смог реализовать своё конституционное право на несение альтернативной гражданской службы , поскольку несение воинской службы в традиционной форме противоречит его религиозным убеждениям ^[46] .

6 ноября 2009 года суд Центрального района города Гомеля признал Дмитрия Смыка виновным в нарушении закона о воинской обязанности и наложил на него штраф . 20 февраля 2010 года заместитель Председателя Верховного суда Республики Беларусь принёс протест на приговор суда по делу Дмитрия Смыка. 15 марта 2010 года Президиум Гомельского областного суда отменил приговор Суда Центрального района города Гомеля.

18 февраля 2010 года президент Белоруссии Александр Лукашенко дал поручение разработать проект закона об альтернативной службе ^[47] .

Исследования христианской организации «Open Doors»

По итогам исследования международной благотворительной христианской организации « Open Doors » за 2012 год , Белоруссия занимает 42 место в списке стран, где чаще всего притесняют права христиан ^[48] .

Ежегодный доклад Государственного департамента США

Государственным департаментом США ежегодно признаётся неблагоприятной ситуация со свободой совести и вероисповедания в Белоруссии ^{[49] [50] [51]} . Это в основном выражается в отказах в регистрации религиозных общин чиновниками, пропаганде религиозной нетерпимости в школах и иных учебных заведениях, в отношении конфессий признанных «нетрадиционными» для Белоруссии, создании препятствий для миссионерской деятельности религиозных меньшинств (штрафы, приводы в милицию) и т. п. ^{[49] [50] [51]}

Совет Министров Республики Беларусь прокомментировал выводы Государственного департамента США за 2004 год , критически высказывавшегося о ситуации со свободой вероисповедания в Белоруссии, назвав их «тенденциозными», «противоречивыми» и «не находящими подтверждения» ^[52] .

Законодательство РБ в сфере религии

По мнению ряда отечественных и зарубежных экспертов, Закон РБ «О свободе совести и религиозных организациях» (от 31 октября 2002 г. № 137-З) ^[4] ущемляет права верующих на свободу совести и вероисповедания ^{[53] [54] [55] [56] [57]} .

Исследования правозащитной организации «Форум 18»

Международная правозащитная организация « Форум 18 » назвала ныне действующий Закон РБ «О свободе совести и религиозных организациях» «самым репрессивным в Европе» ^[54] . «Форума 18» критикует ограничительный характер белорусского Закона «О свободе совести и религиозных организациях» от 2002 года, приводит факты ареста и высылки иностранных священников из Белоруссии, что объясняется «вопросами национальной безопасности» ^[58] . Как считает представитель «Форума 18» Джеральдина Фейган, «официальный Минск намерен выслать из Беларуси всех иностранных священников, поскольку они по самым разным причинам могут не удовлетворять белорусские власти» ^[58] .

Обсуждение на международной конференции

16 сентября 2010 года в Минске прошла международная конференция, посвящённая «свободе мысли, совести и религии». В конференции, инициированной международной организацией « Адвокаты Европы », Центром правовой трансформации (РБ) и центром «Экумена» (РБ), участвовали более 60 экспертов, юристов, правозащитников и учёных из Болгарии , Великобритании , Грузии , Норвегии , России , Словакии , Финляндии и Чехии , а также представители государственных, общественных и религиозных структур Белоруссии ^[56] .

Президент международной организации «Адвокаты Европы» Лачезар Попов заявил, что «конституционные права белорусских граждан должны найти развитие в национальном законодательстве в области свободы религии». Также он высказался, что «очень важным является вопрос о равных правах „традиционных“ и „нетрадиционных“ конфессий. Все категории населения, в том числе иностранные граждане и люди без гражданства, должны иметь такие же права на своё вероисповедание, как и коренные жители. В этом вопросе не может быть никакой дискриминации» ^[56] .

Норвежский эксперт Людмила Ульяшина обратила внимание на отсутствие в Белоруссии национального механизма по изменению ситуации в конкретных делах, по которым Комитет по правам человека ООН в Женеве принял соответствующие решения ^[56] .

Правозащитник Роджер Кишка выразил сожаление, что «в Беларуси происходят постоянные нарушения права на свободу вероисповедания, которое находит своё применение в нерегистрации религиозных общин чиновниками и ущемлении права на свободу собраний» ^[56] .

На этой же конференции белорусский религиовед Наталья Кутузова напомнила, что «в стране официально действует 25 конфессий, и учебные классы являются поликонфессиональными. Поэтому педагоги и авторы учебно-методических материалов не должны допускать дискриминацию по признаку религиозной принадлежности. Мы ссылаемся на положительный опыт стран ОБСЕ , где с 2007 года реализуются т. н. Толедские принципы преподавания религии в школе, основанные на воспитании навыков терпимости» ^[56] .

Другие мнения

Белорусский правозащитник Наталья Василевич выделила несколько сценариев ограничение свободы нормативными законодательными актами, отнеся Закон РБ «О свободе совести и религиозных организациях» (от 31 октября 2002 г. № 137-З) к одному из видов. В частности она отмечает, что в РБ «репрессивный закон, в котором предусмотрены различные ограничения религиозной деятельности и исповедания религии, но только за отдельные нарушения репрессивных норм следует какое-либо наказание, но в принципе создаётся такая ситуация, что любой субъект может стать нарушителем. Чтобы разнообразить картину, нужно добавить, что для разных конфессий или религиозных организаций могут применяться различные стратегии, то есть применяться принцип избирательной дискриминации» ^[53] .