Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 41 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Well done Croatia. Around 90% are Catholic, and given Serbia (Orthodox) and Bosnia (Muslims) neighbour and the brutal war Croatians suffered, Catholic Identity forms a strong national identity. You are Catholic because you are Croatian. And of course you have decades of Soviet rule which denied the Faith to Croatians for so many years- this has reinforced the religious fervour.
I think God picks these small unassuming nations and revives his Universal Church through their Faith. Lebanon has around 5million people and the Christian Faith is strong. Not only that, but the diaspora who immigrated to the West have built more Churches in the countries they have immigrated to and retain the Faith in greater proportion to their population numbers.
CAM
Monday, July 17, AD 2023 11:04am
Ezabelle, what percent Catholic vs Muslim? I wish/pray Lebanon would be left in in peace. Beirut was the Paris of the East.
Art Deco
Monday, July 17, AD 2023 12:04pm
And of course you have decades of Soviet rule which denied the Faith to Croatians for so many years- this has reinforced the religious fervour.
Yugoslavia ceased to be allied with Soviet Russia in 1948. Religious people were harassed in various ways, but the Church was subject to less abuse in Yugoslavia than in any other part of eastern Europe bar Poland. Brother Andrew’s first mission trip to Yugoslavia was in 1957.
Ezabelle
Tuesday, July 18, AD 2023 10:06am
Cam – if you use US Department of State government website as a credible source it shows the Muslims have now out numbered Christians in population numbers, and they state:
Lebanon has not conducted an official census of its population since 1932. However, Statistics Lebanon, an independent firm, estimates 64.9 percent of the citizen population is Muslim (32 percent Sunni, 31.3 percent Shia, and 1.6 percent Alawites and Ismailis combined). Statistics Lebanon further estimates 32 percent of the population is Christian. Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group (with 52.5 percent of the Christian population), followed by Greek Orthodox (25 percent of the Christian population). Other Christian groups include Greek Catholics (Melkites), Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Assyrians, Chaldean Catholics, Copts, Protestants (including Presbyterians, Baptists, and Seventh-day Adventists), Roman (Latin) Catholics, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ). According to Statistics Lebanon, 3.1 percent of the population is Druze, concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south of Beirut. There are also small numbers of Jews, Baha’is, Buddhists, and Hindus. The Jewish Community Council, which represents the country’s Jewish community, estimates 70 Jews reside in the country.
Unfortunately and sadly due to Lebanons geographical location (wedged between Syria and Israel), history of ingrained corruption, the influx of refugees (Palestinians, Syrian) and now Hizbollah (Iran) cementing itself as a State Political Party (aided by a corrupt and cowardly “Christian” President) Lebanon as a nation it once was will not see any peace or normality for a very very very long time. Not without God himself bringing about a miracle. The upside is Lebanon has produced 14 x Ancient Saints (up to 500AD) and 3 x modern saints, 4 x modern Blessed (1800-1960). And of course the founder of the Maronites – St Maroun.
Ezabelle
Tuesday, July 18, AD 2023 10:11am
Art- good to know. The Orthodox Serbs are a tough bunch to their credit.
As my mother Maronite used to joke to my Orthodox father – nobody is as stubborn as an Orthodox Christian. (As a side- I give credit to my mum for passing on her Catholic Faith to us kids and my father supporting her in this. I guess my Orthodox dad was not that stubborn after all).
[…] — The news that 45 new priests were ordained in the country of Croatia was published just prior to the seventh Sunday after Pentecost, the Mass […]
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Well done Croatia. Around 90% are Catholic, and given Serbia (Orthodox) and Bosnia (Muslims) neighbour and the brutal war Croatians suffered, Catholic Identity forms a strong national identity. You are Catholic because you are Croatian. And of course you have decades of Soviet rule which denied the Faith to Croatians for so many years- this has reinforced the religious fervour.
I think God picks these small unassuming nations and revives his Universal Church through their Faith. Lebanon has around 5million people and the Christian Faith is strong. Not only that, but the diaspora who immigrated to the West have built more Churches in the countries they have immigrated to and retain the Faith in greater proportion to their population numbers.
Ezabelle, what percent Catholic vs Muslim? I wish/pray Lebanon would be left in in peace. Beirut was the Paris of the East.
And of course you have decades of Soviet rule which denied the Faith to Croatians for so many years- this has reinforced the religious fervour.
Yugoslavia ceased to be allied with Soviet Russia in 1948. Religious people were harassed in various ways, but the Church was subject to less abuse in Yugoslavia than in any other part of eastern Europe bar Poland. Brother Andrew’s first mission trip to Yugoslavia was in 1957.
Cam – if you use US Department of State government website as a credible source it shows the Muslims have now out numbered Christians in population numbers, and they state:
Lebanon has not conducted an official census of its population since 1932. However, Statistics Lebanon, an independent firm, estimates 64.9 percent of the citizen population is Muslim (32 percent Sunni, 31.3 percent Shia, and 1.6 percent Alawites and Ismailis combined). Statistics Lebanon further estimates 32 percent of the population is Christian. Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group (with 52.5 percent of the Christian population), followed by Greek Orthodox (25 percent of the Christian population). Other Christian groups include Greek Catholics (Melkites), Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Assyrians, Chaldean Catholics, Copts, Protestants (including Presbyterians, Baptists, and Seventh-day Adventists), Roman (Latin) Catholics, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ). According to Statistics Lebanon, 3.1 percent of the population is Druze, concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south of Beirut. There are also small numbers of Jews, Baha’is, Buddhists, and Hindus. The Jewish Community Council, which represents the country’s Jewish community, estimates 70 Jews reside in the country.
Unfortunately and sadly due to Lebanons geographical location (wedged between Syria and Israel), history of ingrained corruption, the influx of refugees (Palestinians, Syrian) and now Hizbollah (Iran) cementing itself as a State Political Party (aided by a corrupt and cowardly “Christian” President) Lebanon as a nation it once was will not see any peace or normality for a very very very long time. Not without God himself bringing about a miracle. The upside is Lebanon has produced 14 x Ancient Saints (up to 500AD) and 3 x modern saints, 4 x modern Blessed (1800-1960). And of course the founder of the Maronites – St Maroun.
Art- good to know. The Orthodox Serbs are a tough bunch to their credit.
As my mother Maronite used to joke to my Orthodox father – nobody is as stubborn as an Orthodox Christian. (As a side- I give credit to my mum for passing on her Catholic Faith to us kids and my father supporting her in this. I guess my Orthodox dad was not that stubborn after all).
[…] — The news that 45 new priests were ordained in the country of Croatia was published just prior to the seventh Sunday after Pentecost, the Mass […]