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The religion of Greek people is an important aspect of Greek culture. The Greek
population in mainland Greece and the Greek islands is Christian Orthodox per 98%. The
religion of the rest of the population is Muslims, Catholic, and Jewish. Greece and Russia
are the only countries to have such a great proportion of the Orthodox population.
The Orthodox Church forms the third largest branch of Christianity, after the Roman
Catholics and the Protestants. You will find below information about the history of
Orthodox religion in Greece: the founders of the orthodox church, the Schism, the
connection with the Greek nation, the separation with the state and other religions in
Greece.
The founders
According to the history of Orthodoxy, the first who came in the Greek territory to preach
Christianity was Saint Paul in 49 AD. Although many people converted to Christianity in
the centuries that followed, this didn't become an official religion until the Emperor
Constantine the Great established Christianity as the official religion of the Byzantine
Empire.
The Schism
In 1054 AD, Christianity was divided into Eastern and Western Church, the Orthodox and
the Catholics. This division was called " The Schism" and was the result of long disputes
between the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople. The disputes referred to
the celibacy of the clergy (Catholic priests had to remain unmarried, whereas the orthodox
priests could marry before becoming ordained), receiving the Holy Communion and the
wording of the Creed: for the Orthodox, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, whereas
Rome added and the Son(filioque). However, the largest problem between the two
Churches was the demand of the Pope to have full control over the Eastern Patriarchs
(of Constantinople, of Alexandria and of Antioch).