Are Ukraine Catholics?

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Quick Answers

Ukraine is a predominantly Orthodox Christian country, with the majority belonging to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. However, there is a significant minority of Greek Catholics (Eastern Catholics) in Ukraine as well. So while the majority of Ukrainians are not Catholic, there is a sizable Catholic population.

Ukraine has a rich religious history, being at the crossroads of the Eastern and Western Christian traditions. For most of its history, Ukraine was part of the Orthodox world, first under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and later as part of the Russian Orthodox Church. However, in 1596 the Union of Brest brought several Orthodox dioceses in Ukraine under the authority of the Pope, creating the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church which follows Eastern rites but is in full communion with Rome. This complex religious landscape has continued to shape Ukraine into the present.

Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine

Orthodoxy has long been the dominant religion in Ukraine. In 988 AD, the Orthodox Christian Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev adopted Orthodoxy as the official state religion, ushering the Kievan Rus’ state into the Byzantine Orthodox religious and cultural sphere. After the Mongol invasions, much of Ukraine came under Polish-Lithuanian control, but the Orthodox faith remained strong.

Following the annexation of eastern Ukraine by the Russian Empire during the 17th and 18th centuries, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was gradually absorbed into the Russian Orthodox Church. After a brief period of independence following the Russian Revolution, Ukraine was incorporated into the Soviet Union. The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church was the only sanctioned Orthodox jurisdiction in the USSR.

With Ukrainian independence in 1991, factions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church sought to break away from Moscow’s control. After a period of fracturing and conflict, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was established and recognized as autocephalous (self-governing) by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2019. However, some parishes in Ukraine still remain under the Russian Orthodox Church.

Key Facts

Most Ukrainians (67.3%) identify as Orthodox Christians.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has around 6,000 parishes and over 150 monasteries.
Some Orthodox parishes (12,000) remain under the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

The Greek Catholic Church

In 1595, a church council was held in the city of Brest, then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During this Council of Brest, several Orthodox bishops agreed to enter into communion with the Church of Rome and recognize the authority of the Pope, while retaining their Byzantine liturgy and customs. This established the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The decision was highly controversial and much of the Ukrainian population remained firmly Orthodox. But in lands under Polish control, the Greek Catholic church gained followers and power. By the end of the 18th century, around 20% of Ukrainians belonged to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church, concentrated in the western regions of Galicia, Transcarpathia and Volhynia.

When these lands were annexed by the Russian Empire during the Partitions of Poland in the late 18th century, the tsars took a hard line against this church they saw as a Polish Catholic influence. Greek Catholics faced persecution and suppression. By the early 20th century less than 10% of Ukrainians remained Greek Catholic.

After western Ukraine came under Polish control again following World War I, the Greek Catholic Church revived. But Soviet rule after 1945 brought renewed persecution. Soviet authorities forced conversion of Greek Catholic churches and properties to Orthodoxy and imprisoned many priests. The church continued underground until the fall of communism in 1989 brought new freedoms.

Key Facts

Around 10% of Ukrainians today are Greek Catholics.
There are around 3,000 Greek Catholic parishes in Ukraine.

Most Ukrainian Greek Catholics are concentrated in the western regions.

Roman Catholicism

While Roman Catholicism has a relatively limited presence in Ukraine compared to other Christian traditions, there is a small minority of Ukrainians who are Roman Catholics. Most of these come from western Ukraine, which has historic ties to Poland and Lithuania.

Catholicism first gained a foothold in parts of Ukraine in the 14th century under Polish rule. As the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth expanded eastward, some territories in western Ukraine came under Catholic control. Grand dukes, nobles and city burghers in the region converted to Roman Catholicism over time.

Following the Partitions of Poland, most of western Ukraine was annexed by Austria. The Austrian Empire granted religious freedom, allowing Roman Catholic life to flourish. Latin Rite Catholic churches and institutions were established. After World War II, this region became part of the USSR. While persecuted, Roman Catholicism survived in western Ukraine.

Today, Roman Catholics make up around 1% of the population. Ukraine has around 1,400 Roman Catholic parishes, mainly in Lviv, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and other western Oblasts. There are 4 Catholic dioceses: the Archdiocese of Lviv and the dioceses of Kyiv-Zhytomyr, Kamyanets-Podilskyi and Mukachevo.

Key Facts

Around 1% of Ukrainians identify as Roman Catholics.

Roman Catholics are concentrated in western Ukraine.
There are 4 Roman Catholic dioceses and around 1,400 parishes.

Other Religious Minorities

While Orthodox Christianity and Greek Catholicism account for the vast majority of religious believers in Ukraine, there are other faiths represented:

Protestantism – Protestant churches like Baptists, Lutherans and Pentecostals make up around 2.2% of the population.
Judaism – Ukraine has had a historically large Jewish population, though many emigrated in the 20th century. Around 0.2% of Ukrainians identify as Jewish today.
Islam – The Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic group, make up around 0.6% of Ukraine’s people. Other Muslim communities give Islam about a 1% share.

There are also small numbers of Old Believers, Armenians, Karaims and adherents of other faiths present. Overall, however, Ukraine remains overwhelmingly an Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christian country.

Religion in Modern Ukraine

The complex religious environment continues to play a role in modern Ukraine. Tensions between the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the pro-Russian Ukranian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate reflect the east vs. west divisions within the country. Meanwhile, the legacy of Soviet atheist policies has left nearly a quarter of Ukrainians unaffiliated with any religion.

Overall, surveys show the majority of Ukrainians do value their religious heritage, whether Orthodox or Greek Catholic. However, decades of Soviet secularism weakened religious practice. Today, only between one-third and half of Orthodox and Greek Catholics report attending services monthly or more often.

As Ukraine continues to establish itself as an independent nation, the interplay between religious identity and politics will remain an important dynamic. The majority Orthodox and minority Catholic populations are both key parts of the fabric of Ukrainian society.

Conclusion

While Ukraine’s population is predominantly Orthodox, belonging either to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine or the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate, there is also a significant presence of Eastern Greek Catholics, particularly in western Ukraine. Additionally, around 1% of Ukrainians are Roman Catholics.

So in summary:

Most Ukrainians (67.3%) are Orthodox Christians.
About 10% belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church following Eastern rites but in communion with Rome.
Around 1% are Roman Catholics of the Latin Rite.

Other religious minorities include Protestants, Jews, Muslims and others.

Therefore, while Ukraine is not predominantly Roman Catholic, Catholics do make up a sizable percentage, especially Ukrainian Greek Catholics. The Catholic influence is strongest in western Ukraine, while the Orthodox tradition dominates in the central and eastern oblasts. This religious diversity is an important aspect of Ukrainian national identity.