Rachel Evans
Ukraine is a predominantly Christian country, with 85% of the population identifying as Christian according to a 2022 survey. Of these Christians, 72% are Eastern Orthodox, 9% are Catholic, and 2% are Protestant. The Catholic Church in Ukraine is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the leadership of the Pope in Rome. Catholics make up 13-14% of the population, with the majority belonging to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The Latin Church in Ukraine has traditionally been associated with citizens of Polish ancestry, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has a strong presence in the western regions of the country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Predominant Religion | Christianity |
| Percentage of population identifying as Christian | 85% |
| Percentage of population identifying as Eastern Orthodox Christian | 60-72% |
| Percentage of population identifying as Ukrainian Greek Catholic | 8-10% |
| Percentage of population identifying as Roman Catholic | 0.5-2% |
| Percentage of population identifying as Atheists | 3-10% |
| Religious practice and belief | Fluid and interwoven into the fabric of social life |
| Catholic Church in Ukraine | Part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the Pope in Rome |
| Percentage of Catholics in the population of Ukraine | 13-14% |
| Percentage of Ukrainian Catholics belonging to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church | 80% |
| Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church | Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk |
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What You'll Learn
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
The history of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is as complex as its cultural patrimony. In 988, Byzantine Christianity was established among the Ukrainians by St. Vladimir (Volodimir). In 1054, the Great Schism divided the Eastern and Western Churches, and the Kyivan Church remained in communion with Constantinople. In 1439, Metropolitan Isidore of Kyiv attempted to unite the Ruthenian Church with the Catholic Church by attending the Council of Florence. In 1596, a group of bishops from the Orthodox Church re-established communion with Rome through an agreement known as the Union of Brest, establishing the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The Union of Brest united the Ruthenian Church with the Catholic Church.
In the 17th century, the Russian Empire took control of most of the territory of present-day Ukraine and restored Orthodoxy in those lands. However, in the western regions of Galicia and Transcarpathia, which became part of the Austrian Catholic Habsburg empire, the Greek Catholic Church flourished. In 1946, a spurious synod broke the union with Rome and "united" the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church with the Russian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was suppressed by the Soviet Union until 1989, when it was again made legal.
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Catholics make up 13-14% of the population
Ukraine is a country with a rich religious history. The predominant religion in Ukraine is Christianity, with 85% of the population identifying as Christian according to a 2022 survey. Of these Christians, 72% are affiliated with an Eastern Orthodox Church.
Ukrainian Catholics are largely concentrated in Western Ukraine, where more than one in four Ukrainians (28%) identify as Catholic. In the rest of the country, only 1-2% of the population is Catholic. The Latin Church has emphasised a Ukrainian identity since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union.
The history of the Catholic Church in Ukraine goes back to the 10th century when Christianity in Ruthenia was established as a state religion in 988. In the 11th century, the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople severed ties with one another, leading to the East-West Schism. In 1595, the Union of Brest officially united the Ruthenian Church with the Catholic Church. In 1839, under pressure from the Russian government, the bishops of the Ruthenian Uniate Church signed a union with the Russian Orthodox Church. However, in areas under Austrian control, the Ukrainian Catholic Church thrived.
Today, Catholic traditions continue to have a strong presence in Ukraine, with 5,269 Catholic organisations in the country as of 2020. Catholic and Orthodox Ukrainians often celebrate each other's religious holidays, and religious practice and belief are fluid and interwoven into social life.
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The Latin Church
The history of the Catholic Church in modern Ukraine dates back to the 10th century when Christianity was established as a state religion in 988, even before the East-West Schism. In the mid-10th century, Kyiv was visited by a mission led by Bishop Adalbert of Magdeburg from the Trier Monastery. Following the East-West Schism, the Byzantine Greeks brought the Ruthenian Church to Kyiv, which ended up among the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
In the 14th century, after the annexation of the Kingdom of Ruthenia by the Kingdom of Poland, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv was established. In 1595, the Union of Brest officially united the Ruthenian Church with the Catholic Church. This union was accomplished by Metropolitan Isidore, who had previously attempted to unite the two churches by attending the Council of Florence in the mid-15th century.
While the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the predominant Catholic Church in Ukraine, a significant number of adherents belong to the Latin Church. According to a 2022 survey, 9% of Ukrainians professed devotion to the Catholic Church, with 8% belonging to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and 1% to the Latin Church.
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History of the Catholic Church in Ukraine
The history of the Catholic Church in Ukraine dates back to the medieval period, with records of Christians and Christian temples in the medieval state. In the mid-10th century, Kyiv was visited by a mission led by Bishop Adalbert of Magdeburg from Trier Monastery.
In 988, Prince Volodymyr the Great established Christianity in its Byzantine-Slavic Rite as the national religion of Kyivan-Rus. This event is considered the beginning of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church as an institution. Following the Christianization of Kievan Rus', the metropolis of Kiev, Galicia, and all of Rus' were established.
In the 11th century, the East-West Schism divided the Christian churches of Eastern and Western traditions. As a result, the Ruthenian Church, which was brought to Kyiv by the Byzantine Greeks, ended up among the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Despite this division, the Kyivan Church remained in communion with the Latin West and recognized the Pope of Rome as its patriarch. Representatives from Rus' participated in the Western Councils of Lyon (1245) and Constance (1418).
In the 15th century, Metropolitan Isidore of Kyiv attempted to unite the Ruthenian Church with the Catholic Church by attending the Council of Florence in 1439. This effort culminated in the signing of the Union of Brest in 1595, which officially united the Ruthenian Church with the Catholic Church. This union led to the formation of the Ruthenian Uniate Church, later known as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
In the following centuries, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church faced various challenges and periods of repression, particularly under Tsarist Russia, which forced "conversions" to Russian Orthodoxy. After World War I, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church found itself under the governance of different nations, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. During the Soviet era, the church faced suppression, and its activities were forced underground.
In contemporary Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the largest among the Eastern Catholic Churches and plays a significant role in public discourse. It has a strong following, particularly in Western Ukraine, and its head, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, enjoys high public confidence. The church has a unique structure, with its own first hierarch and a Synod of Bishops, and it shares the Byzantine Rite with the Orthodox Church.
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The Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Ukraine is a predominantly Christian country, with 85% of the population identifying as Christian according to a 2022 survey. Of these, 72% of the population avowed fidelity to an Eastern Orthodox Church, with 54% proclaiming adherence to the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, 14% identifying as Orthodox Christian without specifying a church affiliation, and 4% associating with the Moscow Patriarchate.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the largest Eastern Catholic Church, with about 4.5 million faithful, and is led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have a long and complex history, dating back to the early medieval period. In the 10th century, Christianity in Ruthenia (the medieval kingdom that ruled what is now Ukraine, Belarus, and western Russia) was established as a state religion. Following the East-West Schism, the Ruthenian Church in Kyiv was among the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
In 1595, the Union of Brest officially united the Ruthenian Church with the Catholic Church, and the region of southern Rus' (present-day Ukraine) was formally reunited with the Pope in Rome. From this point on, the Kyivan Church—now known as the Ukrainian Church—was divided into the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian Catholic Church thrived in areas under Austrian control, while under Russian rule, Catholicism was gradually suppressed. In 1839, Tsar Nicholas I abolished the union in all regions under Russian control. Later, under the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian Catholic Church was forced into the Russian Orthodox Church, and Catholics in Ukraine were persecuted; many were imprisoned and murdered.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), is an Eastern Orthodox Church in Ukraine. It was granted autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on 6 January 2019. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian government. In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill to ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in Ukraine.
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Frequently asked questions
Ukraine is not a Catholic country. While there is a significant Catholic minority, the predominant religion in Ukraine is Christianity, with 85% of the population identifying as Christian. 72% of the population avowed fidelity to an Eastern Orthodox Church.
Catholics make up 13-14% of the population of Ukraine. A 2022 survey found that 9% of Ukrainians professed devotion to the Catholic Church in Ukraine: 8% Ukrainian Greek Catholics and 1% Latin Catholics.
The Ukrainian Catholic Church is in communion with the Roman Pontiff and belongs to the Catholic Church. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is under the supervision of the Patriarch of Constantinople.
The history of the Catholic Church in Ukraine starts as early as the 10th century when Christianity in Ruthenia was established as a state religion in 988. In 1595, the Union of Brest officially united the Ruthenian Church with the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church in Ukraine is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church plays a significant role in the public discourse in Ukraine, with its head, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, enjoying remarkable public confidence.
