| Catholic Church in Greece | |
|---|---|
| Greek:Καθολική Εκκλησία στην Ελλάδα | |
 | |
| Type | National polity |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Governance | Catholic Bishops' Conference of Greece |
| Pope | Francis |
| Apostolic Nuncio | Savio Hon |
| Region | Greece |
| Language | Latin Greek |
| Founder | ApostlesAndrew andPaul |
| Origin | 1st century |
TheCatholic Church in Greece is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thePope inRome. Indigenous Roman Catholic Greeks numbered about 50,000-70,000 in 2022[1] and were a religious and not an ethnic minority. Most of them are a remnant ofVenetian andGenoeserule in southern Greece and manyGreek islands (in both theAegean andIonian seas) from the early 13th until the late 18th century, Greeks who converted to Catholicism or descendants of the thousands ofBavarians that came to Greece in the 1830s as soldiers and civil administrators, accompanyingKing Otto. One very old but still common term to reference to them is Φράγκοι, or "Franks", dating to the times of theByzantine Empire, when medieval Greeks would use that term to describe all Catholics.
Since the early 1990s however, the number of Catholic permanent residents of Greece has greatly increased; as of 2002, they numbered 200,000 at the very least, and probably more.[1] These Catholics are immigrants fromEastern Europe (especiallyPoland) or from thePhilippines, but also include Western European immigrants that live permanently inAthens,Thessaloniki or the Greek islands (especiallyCrete,Syros,Rhodes andCorfu).
Today, the majority of Catholics live in Athens, a city of about four million people; the rest of them can be found all over Greece. Most indigenous Catholics live in the islands, and especially theCyclades, whereSyros andTinos in particular have some entirely Catholic villages and parishes. Catholics can be found also inCorfu,Naxos,Santorini,Kefalonia,Zakynthos,Rhodes,Kos,Crete,Samos,Lesbos andChios. In the mainland, Catholic communities are smaller, and include those ofPatras (a city that was home to a large Italian community untilWorld War II),Thessaloniki,Kavala,Volos etc. In addition to Roman Catholics who represent the vast majority of the faithful, there were about 5,000 members of theGreek Byzantine Catholic Church[1] and a few hundredArmenian Catholics in 2002.
The Catholic Church itself states that "the total population of Catholics in Greece exceeds 350,000".[2] Other estimates suggested that there were 133,000 Catholics in Greece (1.22% of the population) in 2020.[3]
The Catholic Church is recognised by the Greek government and Catholic schools operate in the country.[4]
Before the division of the church in 1054, there were structures of the Catholic Church in Greece. Since the 5th century, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Thessalonica led the Illyrian Vicariate of the Latin Church. Until 1054, there was mutual recognition between the Latin and Byzantine communities in Greece.[citation needed]
After the separation of churches in 1054, a split occurred between these communities. After the church split and the conquest of Greece by theOttoman Empire, the Greek Catholics began to be called "Franks" (Greek Φράγκοι). This name of local Catholics came from the faith professed by the Franks. Orthodox Greeks, distinguishing themselves from the Franks, called themselves the "Romans" (Greek Ρωμαιοι), identifying themselves with theByzantine Empire, which considered itself the successor to theRoman Empire.
After theFourth Crusade in 1204, the residence of the Latin patriarch with 12 dioceses subordinate to him was established in Constantinople. In 1205, Pope Innocent III established the Latin Archdiocese in Athens. Other Latin church structures were established at the same time. In Greece, various Western monastic orders also operated.
After the conquest of Byzantium by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 in Greece, the activity of the Latin structures gradually ceased and the dioceses of the Latin rite became titular. At the same time, until the 18th century, there were numerous Venetian colonies in Greece, which possessed considerable freedom.
In 1830, a gradual restoration of Church hierarchy began in Greece. That year,Pope Gregory XVI established the first Catholic Church hierarchy, which was called the apostolic delegate. In 1834, Bishop Blancis was appointed apostolic delegate and the Holy See entrusted him with the care of Roman Catholics living in Greece. On 23 July 1875Pope Pius IX established the archdiocese of Athens and the Peloponnese.
In 1856, a community of Greek Eastern Catholics was formed in Constantinople, which became the basis of theGreek Byzantine Catholic Church.
In 1979, theHoly See established diplomatic relations with Greece.
The Bishops' Conference of Greece (Hiera Synodos Katholikis Hierarkhias Hellados) has six members:
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