Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church,[note 1] is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians[note 2] and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Church, and 22 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches (called is by far the largest religious group in Italy. (Catholics make up 87.8% of the population, with 36.8% considering themselves practicing Catholics and 30.8% attending Church every Sunday.[1]) However, there are also some important religious minorities.
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll Eurobarometer is a series of surveys regularly performed on behalf of the European Commission since 1973. It produces reports of public opinion of certain issues relating to the European Union across the member states. The Eurobarometer results are published by the Public Opinion Analysis Sector of the European Commission - Directorate General 2005 2005 was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar:[2]
- 74% of Italian citizens responded that they believe there is a God;
- 16% answered that they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force;
- 6% answered that they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force.
Demography
This is a scheme of the religious composition of Italian population (58,751,711 - 2006, estimated):
- Christians Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. The Christian faith is essentially faith in Jesus as the Christ (or Messiah), the Son of God, the Savior, the manifestation of God to humankind (Immanuel), and God (Yahweh or the "Lord") himself: 53,550,000 (91.2%)
- Catholics: 51,600,000 (87.8%)
- Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church,[note 1] is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians[note 2] and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Church, and 22 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches (called: 51,500,000 (87.6%)
- Eastern Rite Catholics The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous particular Churches in full communion with the Bishop of Rome — the Pope. They preserve the centuries-old liturgical and devotional traditions of the various Eastern Christian Churches with which they are associated historically. While doctrinal differences divide these other Eastern Christian: 100,000 (0.2%)
- Italo-Albanians In some parts of southern Italy, a form of the Greek language is still preserved, in particular near Taranto and in Calabria, remnants of a situation that was once widespread, especially in Sicily, which was almost entirely Greek when, in 831, the Arabs began their conquest of the island. However, the Albanian Arberesh members of Church trace: 60,000 (0.1%)[3]
- Others (Romanian-Catholics The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic is an Eastern Catholic Church which is in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. It is ranked as a Major Archiepiscopal Church and uses the Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language, Ukrainian Greek Catholics The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Ukrainian: Українська Греко-Католицька Церква (УГКЦ), also known as the Ukrainian Catholic Church, is one of the successor Churches to the acceptance of Christianity by Grand Prince Vladimir the Great (Ukrainian Volodymyr) of Kyiv, in 988. UGCC is the largest Eastern Rite, Armenian Catholics The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui juris in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. It is in full communion with and accepts the authority of the Pope in Rome as regulated by Eastern canon law. Since 1749, Armenian Catholic Church is headquartered at the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate complex in Bzoummar, Lebanon, etc.): 40,000 (0.07%)
- Other Christians: 2,150,000 (3.7%)
- Eastern Orthodox The Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church[note 1] and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church,[note 2] is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members. It is considered by its adherents to be the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic: 940,000 (1.6%)[4]
- Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch. Its jurisdiction covers the territory of Romania, with dioceses for Romanians living in nearby Moldova, Serbia: 500,000 (0.85%)
- Ukrainian Orthodox Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate is one of the three major Orthodox churches in Ukraine, alongside the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church . The church is, however, unrecognized by other canonical Eastern Orthodox churches, including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow: 180,000 (0,31%)
- Moldovan Orthodox The Moldovan Orthodox Church is an autonomous church under the Church of Russia, whose canonic territory covers the Republic of Moldova: 90,000 (0,15%)
- Others (Bulgarian Orthodox The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia. The recognition of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 927 AD makes, Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church or the Church of Serbia is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia. It is the second oldest Slavic Orthodox Church in the world (after the Bulgarian Orthodox Church), as well as the westernmost Eastern, Greek Orthodox The Church of Greece , part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the fifteen autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches which make up the Orthodox Communion. Its canonical territory is confined to the borders of Greece prior to the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, with the rest of Greece being subject to the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical, Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church ; or The Moscow Patriarchate (Russian: Русская Православная Церковь (Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov), or Московский Патриархат (Moskovskiy Patriarkhat) (the latter designation being another official name) since 1943, Поместная Российская Православ, etc.): 180,000 (0.31%)
- Protestants Protestantism is a branch within Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing practices and doctrines, that principally originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the major divisions within Christianity, together with the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and: 675,000 (1.1%)
- Evangelicals Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s. Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion ; some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for biblical authority; and an emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus. David Bebbington and Pentecostals Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit which is evidenced by speaking in tongues. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, a Greek term describing the Jewish Feast of Weeks. For Christians, this event commemorates the: 550,000 (0.94%)
- Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship or Assemblies of God is the world's largest Pentecostal Christian denomination. With over 300,000 churches and outstations in over 110 countries and approximately 57 to 60 million adherents worldwide, it is the fourth largest international body of Christians. It prefers to be referred to as a cooperative: 400,000 (0.68%)
- Others: 150,000 (0.25%)
- Mainline Protestants The mainline or mainline Protestant denominations are those Protestant denominations that were brought to the United States by its historic immigrant groups; for this reason they are sometimes referred to as heritage churches. The largest are the Episcopal (English), Presbyterian (Scottish), Methodist (English and Welsh), Lutheran (German and: 125,000 (0.20%)[5][6]
- Waldensians Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian spiritual movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions. Over time, the denomination joined the Genevan or Reformed branch of Protestantism. About the earlier history of the Waldenses considerable uncertainty exists because of a lack of extant and Methodists Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to Reverend John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement in the Anglican Church. His younger brother Charles was instrumental in writing much of the hymnody: 36,000 (0.06%
- Waldensians: 30,000 (0.05%)
- Methodists: 6,000 (0.01%)
- Seventh-day Adventists The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ. It is the eighth largest international body of Christians. The denomination grew out of the: 25,000 (0.04%)
- Baptists A Baptist is a Christian who subscribes to a theology and may belong to a church that, among other things, is committed to believer's baptism and, with respect to church polity, favors the congregational model. The term Baptist can also describe a local church, denomination, or other group of individuals made up of individual Baptists: 20,000 (0.03%)
- Brethren The Brethren are a number of Protestant Christian religious bodies using the word "brethren" in their names. In some cases these similarities of name reflect roots in the same early Brethren groups, and in others the adoption of "Brethren" as part of the name reflects an independent choice to evoke the concept of religious: 10,000 (0.02%)
- Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the 16th century German reformer Martin Luther. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation. The reactions of governmental and churchly authorities to the international spread of his writings,: 8,000 (0.01%)
- Others (Disciples of Christ The Christian Church is a Mainline Protestant denomination in North America. It is often referred to as The Christian Church, The Disciples of Christ, or more simply as The Disciples. It has made significant contributions to worldwide Christianity through the evangelistic work of its missionary societies and through its participation in the, Reformed The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant denominations formally characterized by a similar Calvinist system of doctrine, historically related to the churches that first arose especially in the Swiss Reformation led by Huldrych Zwingli and soon afterward appeared in nations throughout Western and Central Europe. Each nation in, Presbyterians Presbyterianism is the religion of a number of different Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, and organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures, and the necessity of grace through, Mennonites The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders. The teachings of the Mennonites were founded on both the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ, which they held to with great conviction despite, etc.): 25,000 (0.04%)
- Waldensians Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian spiritual movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions. Over time, the denomination joined the Genevan or Reformed branch of Protestantism. About the earlier history of the Waldenses considerable uncertainty exists because of a lack of extant and Methodists Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to Reverend John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement in the Anglican Church. His younger brother Charles was instrumental in writing much of the hymnody: 36,000 (0.06%
- Evangelicals Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s. Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion ; some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for biblical authority; and an emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus. David Bebbington and Pentecostals Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit which is evidenced by speaking in tongues. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, a Greek term describing the Jewish Feast of Weeks. For Christians, this event commemorates the: 550,000 (0.94%)
- Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenarian Christian denomination. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism; they report convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual Memorial attendance of over 17 million. They are directed by the Governing Body, a group of elders which: 500,000 (0.85%)
- Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a restorationist Christian church, and is the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. circa 1830. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations (called wards or branches) worldwide: 22,000 (0.04%)
- Anglicans Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. According to some writers, Anglicanism forms one of the principal traditions of Christianity, together with Protestantism, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy: 15,000 (0.03%)
- Eastern Orthodox The Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church[note 1] and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church,[note 2] is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members. It is considered by its adherents to be the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic: 940,000 (1.6%)[4]
- Catholics: 51,600,000 (87.8%)
- Muslims Islam (Arabic: الإسلام al-’islām, pronounced [ʔislæːm] [note 1]) is the religion articulated by the Qur’an, a book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of the single incomparable God (Arabic: الله, Allāh), and by the Islamic prophet Muhammad's demonstrations and real-life examples (called the Sunnah,: 1,210,000 (2.1%)[4]
- Buddhists Buddhism as traditionally conceived is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha. Adherents recognize the Buddha as an awakened teacher who shared his: 160,000 (0.3%)[4]
- Hindus Hinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as Sanātana Dharma, a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as in Vaishnavism: 115,000 (0.2%)[4]
- Sikhs Sikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit term śiṣya, meaning "disciple, learner" or śikṣa, meaning "instruction": 70,000 (0.1%)[7]
- Jews Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts. Judaism presents itself as the covenantal relationship between the Children of Israel (later, the Jewish nation) and God: 45,000 (0.1%)
- No Religion Irreligion is an absence of religion, indifference to religion, and/or hostility to religion. Depending on the context, it may be understood as referring to atheism, deism, nontheism, agnosticism, ignosticism, antireligion, skepticism, freethought, or secular humanism. Irreligious people may have convictions equal in depth to those of religious: 3,400,000 (5.8%)
References
- ^ Corriere della Sera - Italia, quasi l'88% si proclama cattolico
- ^ ReportDGResearchSocialValuesEN2.PDF
- ^ Italy, Statistics by Diocese, by Catholic Population [Catholic-Hierarchy]
- ^ a b c d Caritas Dossier Immigrazione 2007
- ^ Chiesa Evangelica Valdese - Unione delle chiese Metodiste e Valdesi
- ^ http://www.chiesabattistadiconversano.it/i_protestanti_in_italia.html
- ^ Etnomedia
See also
- Christianity in Italy
- Islam in Italy The history of Islam in Italy dates back to the 7th and 8th centuries, when some of the Lombards, a Germanic people that ruled parts of northern Italy, converted from Arianism to Islam instead of to Catholicism. In the 9th century, wars of expansion by North African states brought Sicily and some regions in Peninsular Italy into the Ummah. There
- Hinduism in Italy
- Jews in Italy The first attested Jews in Italy were the ambassadors sent to Rome by Judah Maccabee in 161 BC, Jason son of Eleazar and Eupolemus son of John. According to I Maccabees they signed a treaty with the Roman Senate, although modern scholars like A.N. Sherwin-White argue that this embassy did not happen
- Buddhism in Italy Albania · Andorra · Armenia1 · Austria · Azerbaijan2 · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus1 · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia2 · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan3 · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg ·
- Sikhism in Italy
- Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy
- List of Italian religious minority politicians This is a list of Italian politicians belonging to a religious group, different from the dominant Roman Catholicism
- Religion by country This article gives an overview about religion by country. Note that the Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, will show dual figures; those are the percentage of people who believe in God and the percentage of nominal adherents who celebrate traditional religious holidays although not professing belief in God: Cultural Jews and
- Religion in Europe Religion in Europe has been a major influence on art, culture, philosophy and law. The largest religion in Europe for at least a millennium and a half has been Christianity. A number of countries in Southeastern Europe have Muslim majorities. Smaller religions include Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism which are found in their largest groups
Categories: Religion in Italy
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