| Part ofa series on |
| Slovenes |
|---|
 |
| Diaspora by country |
| Culture of Slovenia |
| Religion |
| Languages and dialects |
The dominantreligion in Slovenia isChristianity, primarily theCatholic Church, which is the largestChristian denomination in the country. Other Christian groups having significant followings in the country includeEastern Orthodoxy andProtestantism (Lutheranism).Islam,Judaism andHinduism are small minorities inSlovenia. About 18% of the population are either agnostic or atheist.[2][3]
Religion played a significant role in the development of the Slovenian nation and of the country of Slovenia.[citation needed] After a centuries-long tradition of astate church, interrupted by the periods ofProtestant Reformation (in the 16th century) and post–World War IIsocialism (which ousted religion from the public life), a degree of separation of the state and the church has been reached in independent Slovenia. In February 2007 Slovenia passed a new Religious Freedom Act with a bias towards the Catholic Church (particularly in regard to state funding) and strict terms for the registration of new religious communities.[3]
TheCatholic Church in Slovenia is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thePope inRome.
There are around 1,135,626 Catholics in the country (about 57.8% of the total population as per the 2002 Census).[2] The country is divided into sixdioceses, including twoarchdioceses. The diocese ofMaribor was elevated to an archdiocese by PopeBenedict XVI in 2006. Additionally, the pope created three new sees, namelyNovo Mesto,Celje andMurska Sobota.
Protestantism is tightly-knit with the history of Slovenians, with the Slovenian language having been established in theReformation.Primož Trubar was a leading early Slovenian author and a Protestant reformer. He contributed to the development of theSlovenian language andSlovenian culture.
The Reformation flourished in the 16th century, accounting for the vast majority of cultural development in Slovenian.Lutheranism was the most popular Protestant denomination among Slovenians, with minorities, most notablyCalvinism.
Protestantism among Slovenians was aggressively attempted to be wiped out by theHabsburgs with theCounter-Reformation. The Counter-Reformation was heavily deployed to the majority of Slovenian-speaking territory. Means used involved murder, extradition, book-burning and a general ban of the Slovenian language. Excluded were eastern regions (such as Prekmurje), ruled by Hungarian nobility, oftenCalvinist. Historically,Hungarians had taken up Lutheranism first, before gradually switching to Calvinism. They did not have a policy of extinguishing Lutheranism.
Protestantism among Slovenians survived the Counter-Reformation scattered. Protestantism is a minority group of Christian denominations in the Republic of Slovenia today. The largest community of Protestant Slovenians lives in thePrekmurje region, most of them are Lutheran.[4]
Eastern Orthodoxy maintains a significant presence in the country and is practised in majority by Slovenians ofSerbian heritage. Eastern Orthodox Christians in Slovenia are under ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Serbian OrthodoxMetropolitanate of Zagreb and Ljubljana.
Orthodoxy in Slovenian lands has historically been closely associated with thelocal Serbian community (particularlycommunity in White Carniola).[5] The first recorded encounters with Orthodoxy in Slovenia occurred during the rule of theCounts of Celje.[5] In 1434, CountUlrich II of Celje marriedKatarina Branković, daughter of theSerbian DespotĐurađ Branković, who brought Orthodox priests to serve at the Celje court.[5] Orthodox Serbs (Rascians) also arrived in Celje’s territories as soldiers.[5]
During the 15th and 16th centuries, waves of Orthodox migrants, mostlyVlachs fleeing theOttoman Empire conquests, settled in what is today Slovenia.[5] While some assimilated into the local population, others remained in theWhite Carniola region, establishing seven Serbian Uskok settlements, some of which have maintained a continuous Orthodox presence to the present day.[5]
The region formed part of theMilitary Frontier, where Orthodox soldiers were granted land and religious freedom in return for military service.[5] Following the abolition of the Military Frontier in 1881, three of these villages (Marindol,Milići andPaunovići) became part of theKingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and later theSava Banovina in theKingdom of Yugoslavia.[5] DuringWorld War II in Yugoslavia, these villages fell under Italian-occupied Slovenia, but after the war, they were transferred back to thePeople’s Republic of Croatia.[5] In 1952, the local population voted to re-join thePeople’s Republic of Slovenia.[5]
TheMuslims inSlovenia are ethnically mostlyBosniaks andethnic Muslims.[6] In 2014, there were 48,266Muslims in Slovenia, making up about 2.4 percent of the total population.[7] The Muslim community of Slovenia is headed byNedžad Grabus [sl].[8]
According to the published data from the 2002 Slovenian census, out of a total of 47,488 Muslims (2.4% of the total population) 2,804 Muslims (5.90% of the total Muslims in Slovenia) declared themselves as ethnicSlovenian Muslims.[9]
There are also Muslims from Central, South and Southeast Asia, who are not counted in the census because they are migrant workers.
The smallJewish community ofSlovenia (Slovene:Judovska skupnost Slovenije) is estimated at 400 to 600 members, with the Jewish community of Slovenia suggesting 500 to 1000 members. Around 130 are officially registered,[10] most of whom live in the capital,Ljubljana. The Jewish community was devastated by theShoah, and has never fully recovered. Until 2003,Ljubljana was the onlyEuropean capital city without a Jewish place of worship.[11]
220 Hindus live in Slovenia, with 70 belonging to the Hindu Religious Community in Slovenia and 150 belonging to theInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon).[12]
A 2010Eurobarometer poll found that 26% of the population of Slovenia stated that "I don't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force".[13]A 2021 World Population Review found that 53% of Slovenians were either non-religious or convinced atheist.[14]
Religiosity of Slovene citizens according to population censuses 1991, and 2002.
| Religious group | Population %1991[15][16][3] | Population %2002[2] |
|---|---|---|
| Christianity | 74.9% | 61.1% |
| Catholicism | 71.6% | 57.8 |
| Lutheran and other Protestants | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Orthodox Christian | 2.4% | 2.3% |
| Islam | 1.5% | 2.4% |
| Other religion | 0.0% | 0.02% |
| Spiritual but not member of religions | 0.2% | 3.5% |
| Atheists | 4.4% | 10.1% |
| Agnostics | - | 0.0% |
| Unknown | 14.6% | 7.1% |
| Not answered | 0.0% | 15.7% |
Slovenia's laws guarantee the freedom of religion and establish a separation between church and state, as well as prohibiting religious discrimination and religious hatred. Religious groups may easily register with the government in order to receive some privileges, largely consisting of various forms of monetary compensation.
Slovenia's laws prohibit circumcision for non-medical reasons and animal slaughtering practices that are necessary for meat to be consideredkosher orhalal. Members of the Jewish and Muslim communities observe these practices outside of the country (importing meat, and traveling to neighboring countries for religious circumcision) without obstruction from Slovenia's government.[19]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Media related toReligion in Slovenia at Wikimedia Commons