Belarus

The Republic of Belarus in northern Europe gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Situated between Russia and Poland, Belarus has historically been a cultural borderland. Baptized into Orthodoxy in the 10th century (the Polatsk eparchy was established in 992), the country later became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and partly adopted Roman Catholicism, especially after the Union of Lublin (1569; with the Kingdom of Poland). After the Brest Church Union (1596), the Uniate Church (subordinated to the Pope but with Orthodox ceremonies) was established. Other religions were represented by Jewish (since the 14th century), Muslim (since the 14th century), Old Believers (since mid-17th century), and Protestant (Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anti-Trinitarian; in mid-16th century) communities. In 1795, Belarus was annexed to the Russian Empire, and the population was by force converted to Russian Orthodoxy (the Uniate Church was prohibited in 1840). In 1922, following the 1917 October Revolution, the church was separated from the state and the church lands withdrawn. During the Soviet period, Belarus was declared atheistic, and religious practices were severely prosecuted. In 1941 to 1945, much of the Jewish population perished. During the “Khrushchev thaw” of 1953 to 1964, religious activities temporarily revived. Perestroika (1985) allowed the people to declare their beliefs freely.

The Declaration of Independence (1991) coincided with the massive religious revival: The Christian church was restored as an important social institution; many new communities arose, including Protestant ones; and new temples were built. As a result, in the 1990s, the proportion of believers in Belarus rose significantly and now constitutes about 50%, which is comparable with that of Russia or Ukraine.

During the post-Soviet period, the state-church relationship was reestablished. In 1992, the Belarusian parliament adopted a law “On the freedom of religion and religious organizations” and guaranteed freedom of consciousness. The new edition of this law (2002) affirmed that the Orthodox Church played a dominant role in the formation of the national state, cultural, and spiritual traditions. In 2003, a special agreement on cooperation between this church and the state was signed. Additionally, an important social role for the Roman Catholic Church was confirmed by the same law, as was the recognition of the statuses of Lutheran Church, Muslim, and Jewish religious organizations. Other religions can also be recognized after state registration.

Current religious tendencies include the rise of interest in religion among the population, widespread eclectic “Christian” beliefs, relatively low regular attendance of religious services, moderate rise of Baptism and Pentecostalism (Christians of evangelical faith), and homogenization of the religious field.

As of January 1, 2009, 25 religious confessions (3,062 religious organizations) were registered, the most popular among them being the following:

• Orthodox Church (1,473 parishes, 1,274 churches)
• Roman Catholic Church (467 communities, 451 churches)
• Protestant churches (14 denominations and 992 communities, among them 557 Pentecostals, 269 Baptist, 27 Lutherans)
• Uniate Church (14 communities)
• Church of Old Believers (32 communities)
• Islam (27 communities)
• Judaism (46 communities)

Among almost a hundred new religious movements, the Krishnaites, Baha'is, Mormons, New Apostolic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Johannites are registered. Many other smaller groups are registered as public and other organizations as

...