Over
97% of the religious communities now registered in Ukraine
are Christian. About half of these communities are of the
Orthodox tradition. The other half is divided among Catholics
and Protestants. According to official terminology the three
major Orthodox jurisdictions and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church belong to the category "traditional Churches."
The Roman Catholic Church is considered an «historical
Church.»
Orthodox
Churches
The
ORTHODOX CHURCHES in Ukraine trace their history back to
the beginning of Christianity in Ukraine in 988, when St.
Volodymyr the Great accepted the Byzantine-Slavic rite of
Christianity for his people. The disputes of recent history
have separated these groups, but they share a common background
and similar (Byzantine-Slavic) theological and liturgical
traditions.
There
are three major Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine:
The
Ukrainian Orthodox Church- Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)
has 9049 communities, most of which are located in central
and southeastern Ukraine.
The
Ukrainian Orthodox Church- Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP)
has 2781 communities, of which about a third are in the
central regions and about 10% in southeastern areas.
The
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) has 1015
communities; about 80% are located in western Ukraine.
Catholic
Churches
The
different CATHOLIC CHURCHES of Ukraine share full communion
with the Pope of Rome and with each other. Their historical
backgrounds, however, and theological and liturgical traditions
are significantly different. These Catholic Churches are
Churches sui juris, they are in full and visible communion
with the Roman Apostolic See, but they have separate eparchial
(diocesan) structures, liturgical life, canonical order,
historical and cultural particularities and so on.
There
are two major Catholic Churches represented in Ukraine:
The
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) has 3317 communities,
the vast majority of which are located in western Ukraine.
The
Roman Catholic Church (RCC) has 807 communities, of which
more than half are in the central regions.
The
Armenian Catholic Church had a significant presence in Ukraine
before World War Two. It is now trying to form communities
again.
Pre-Chalcedonian
Church
The
Armenian Apostolic Church has had a significant presence
in Ukraine since at least the 11th century. It is a pre-
Chalcedonian Church, in ecclesial communion neither with
Eastern Orthodox of the Byzantine Tradition nor with Catholics.
It has 16 commun
