Michael Brooks
Russia has been accused of banning religions and killing clergy in occupied Ukraine, including the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries in the occupied areas of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. In December 2022, Russian occupation officials formally banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in occupied territories and forcibly expelled and tortured clergy, in a breach of international law. Russia has also passed new laws restricting evangelization and missionary activity to officially registered Church buildings and worship areas, which some believe are intended to target smaller, unregistered religious groups. While these laws are not expected to hurt the Catholic Church, they have been criticized by religious leaders and human rights groups. As of 2017, there were approximately 140,000 Catholics in Russia, about 0.1% of the total population.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Catholics in Russia | 140,000 (2017) |
| Percentage of Catholics in Russia | 0.1% (2017) |
| Number of Armenian Catholics in Russia | 59,000 |
| New religious laws | Restrict evangelization and missionary activity to officially registered Church buildings |
| Impact of new laws | Expected to affect smaller religious groups like Evangelicals |
| Fines for violating anti-evangelism law | Up to US$780 for individuals and $15,500 for organizations |
| Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine | Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries, Knights of Columbus, and Caritas banned |
| Number of clergy killed by Russian forces | Close to 70 |
| Number of places of worship destroyed by Russian forces | More than 630 |
| Visa issues for foreign priests | Non-renewal and revocation of visas |
| Number of Catholics in Russia (Vatican estimate) | 1,285,000 |
| Number of Catholics in Russia (Sergei Filatov and Lyudmila Vorontsova estimate) | 150,000 |
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What You'll Learn
Russia is banning Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries in Ukraine
Russia has banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries in the occupied territories of Ukraine. This includes the occupied areas of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, where an order dated December 26, 2022, banned all activities of the church, as well as the Knights of Columbus, Caritas, and other Catholic ministries in the occupied area. The order was signed by Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed head of the area's military-civil administration.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) announced on December 7, 2023, that it had obtained a copy of the order and that it had been banned. The UGCC also stated that the order declared that its activities were in "violation of legislation on religious and public organizations of the Russian Federation." The order also accused the UGCC of storing "explosives and firearms on the territory of religious buildings," distributing "literature with calls to violate the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation," and "active participation ... in extremist organizations and propaganda of neo-Nazi ideas."
The ban on the UGCC and other Catholic ministries in the occupied territories of Ukraine is the latest in a series of tensions between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, which have been at odds since 1050. More recently, in 2022, Russia approved a new set of laws that restrict evangelization and missionary activity to officially registered Church buildings and worship areas. These laws fall under the umbrella of new anti-terrorism legislation and prohibit sharing faith in private homes, online, or anywhere but recognized church buildings. While these laws are not expected to hurt the Catholic Church in Russia, they do target smaller religious groups, particularly Evangelical groups, that refuse to register with the government.
The number of Catholics in Russia is small, with approximately 140,000 Catholics in the country as of 2017, or about 0.1% of the total population. This number has decreased since the fall of the Soviet Union, as many Catholics have died or emigrated to their ethnic homelands in Europe. The Catholic Church in Russia is mostly made up of elderly members of European Catholic ethnic groups, with a slight boost from immigration of Armenians and some of Russia's ethnic minority communities.
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Russia is killing clergy in Ukraine
Russia has been accused of killing clergy and banning religions in occupied Ukraine. Since the start of their February 2022 full-scale invasion, Russian forces have killed close to 70 clergy and destroyed more than 630 places of worship in Ukraine.
In March 2024, the Russian Orthodox Church declared Russia’s war on Ukraine a “Holy War,” with Russia, “defending the single spiritual space of Holy Rus'”. Head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, told believers in a September 2022 sermon that Russian forces killed in Ukraine will have “all sins” washed away by their deaths.
In December 2022, Russian occupation officials formally banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in occupied territories and forcibly expelled clergy in a breach of international law. Two UGCC priests, Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, were abducted from their parish, imprisoned, and tortured for 18 months. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church's Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk said the arrests were in retaliation for the Ukrainian government's search of the Pechersk Lavra, a Kyiv monastery also known as the Monastery of the Caves, which is under the authority of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate.
Russian media reported that the priests had been detained for "subversive" and "partisan" activities against Russian forces, claiming to have discovered explosives, weapons, and "prohibited literature" in the church. However, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church maintains that its priests are being tortured without mercy.
Russia's religious persecution in Ukraine against various religious groups that do not align with the Kremlin's political agenda has been widely condemned. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a statement in January 2025, asserting that Russia has misrepresented the status of religious freedom in Ukraine to undercut aid.
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Russian Orthodox Church still favoured over Catholic Church
Russia has a long and complex history with the Catholic Church. While there has been a continuous presence of Catholics in Russia since at least the 18th century, they have always been a small minority. After the fall of the Soviet Union, there were an estimated 500,000 Catholics in the country, but most have since left or passed away. As of 2017, there were approximately 140,000 Catholics in Russia, accounting for about 0.1% of the total population.
The Russian Orthodox Church, on the other hand, is the largest of all the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world and has a significant presence in Russia. Within Russia, a 2007 poll indicated that about 75% of the population considered themselves Orthodox Christians, and up to 65% identified as "Orthodox". However, a later poll in 2012 showed a decrease, with only 41% of Russians identifying with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Historically, there has been tension between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Great Schism of 1054 led to a separation between the Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Byzantine churches, which became the Orthodox Church. Doctrinal issues and the centralisation of power by the Pope contributed to this split. The Russian Orthodox Church has also been favoured by the Russian government at times. For example, after Nazi Germany's attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, Joseph Stalin revived the Russian Orthodox Church to intensify patriotic support for the war effort.
More recently, in 2022, Russia banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries in the occupied areas of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. The Russian media reported that the priests had been detained for "subversive" and "partisan" activities, and that they had discovered explosives, weapons, and "prohibited literature" in the church. The Russian government has also restricted the activities of religious groups within Russia, including Catholics, under the umbrella of new anti-terrorism legislation. These laws prohibit sharing faith outside of officially registered Church buildings and worship areas. However, it is important to note that these laws are expected to have a much bigger impact on smaller, unregistered religious groups rather than the Catholic Church, which has followed government regulations and registered with the government.
While the new laws do favour the Russian Orthodox Church over other religious groups, including the Catholic Church, it is not accurate to say that Catholics are being banned in Russia. The Catholic Church is still allowed to operate within the country, albeit with certain restrictions. Additionally, the percentage of outwardly practicing Catholics in Russia is very low, at or below 1% of the population.
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Russian laws restrict evangelization and missionary activity
Russia's new anti-missionary law, also known as the Yarovaya law, severely restricts religious freedom by essentially banning preaching, praying, proselytizing, and disseminating religious materials outside of officially designated locations. The law, which was signed by President Vladimir Putin in July 2016, falls under the umbrella of new anti-terrorism legislation. It prohibits the sharing of faith in private homes, online, or anywhere but recognized church buildings. The law imposes hefty fines on individuals and organizations that violate the restrictions, with foreign visitors facing deportation.
The law specifically forbids proselytizing in residential areas and attempts to circumvent the law by converting residential premises for religious use. It also restricts foreign missionaries, who can only be invited into the country by a religious organization with whom they must have a contract. Representative offices of foreign religious organizations that have not obtained local or national registration are prohibited from engaging in missionary activity.
While the new law has been met with opposition from most religious organizations in the country, the Russian Orthodox Church has supported it. Some believe that the law targets smaller, less established groups that are unregistered and may meet in private residences, including Evangelical groups and those considered "extremist" under Russian definitions. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses and certain groups of Mormons may be impacted due to their conscientious objection to military service, which is considered "unjust and extreme" by the Russian government.
The Catholic Church in Russia, while not expected to be severely affected by the law, must still adhere to government regulations that require religious organizations to be officially registered. As of 2017, there were approximately 140,000 Catholics in Russia, with a slight boost in numbers due to immigration and ethnic minority communities. However, the government has largely refused to allow the Armenian Catholic Church, which has 59,000 members in Russia, to register their parishes.
In addition to the restrictions on missionary activity, Russia has also implemented requirements for religious leaders educated abroad. According to an amendment to the country's Religion Law signed by President Putin in 2021, missionaries, clergy, and religious teachers educated outside of Russia must receive additional state-authored education in the basics of state-confessional relations.
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Catholicism in Russia today
Today, there are an estimated 140,000 to 240,000 Catholics in Russia, according to different sources and surveys, making up around 0.1% to 0.5% of the total population. The Catholic Church in Russia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Catholic population in Russia is diverse, including Poles, Lithuanians, Germans, and other non-Russians who have retained their ethnic identities. There is also a group of Russian Uniate or Byzantine Catholics, as well as russified descendants of Catholics living in annexed territories. Additionally, there is a small but influential group of Russian Catholic intellectuals and youth who advocate for the Latin rite.
The geographical distribution of Catholics in Russia has shifted over time. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the newly independent states of Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan were no longer part of Russia, reducing the size of the Catholic Church in the country. Today, it is believed that the majority of Russian Catholics are located in Siberia, with the Vatican estimating one million Catholics in Western Siberia and 200,000 in Northern European Russia, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
In recent years, new religious laws in Russia have raised concerns among religious groups, including Catholics. These laws restrict evangelization and missionary activities to officially registered Church buildings. While these laws are intended to fall under anti-terrorism legislation, they have been met with protests from religious leaders and human rights groups. However, Catholic priests serving in Russia have stated that these laws are not expected to significantly hurt the Catholic Church, as the Church has followed government regulations and registered with the government since the fall of the Soviet Union.
While Catholicism in Russia faces various challenges, including historical persecution, shifting demographics, and new legislative restrictions, it continues to maintain a presence in the country. The Catholic Church works to reconcile the diverse agendas of its followers and increase its presence in Russia, despite these obstacles.
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Frequently asked questions
Russia is not banning Catholics in Russia. However, in December 2022, Russian officials banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries in the occupied territories of Ukraine, which is a breach of international law.
There are approximately 140,000 Catholics in Russia, which is about 0.1% of the population. Most of the senior clergy are from European Catholic ethnic groups, which are mostly elderly and rapidly decreasing in number.
The Catholic Church has a small presence in Russia. There are 59,000 members of the Armenian Catholic Church in Russia, but the government does not allow them to register their parishes. There is also a fear that the Putin government is taking an anti-foreign stance, which could affect the non-native Catholic clergy in the country.
