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Montenegro is a multireligious country. Although Orthodox Christianity is the dominant religion, there are also numerous adherents of Islam and Catholic Christianity. The dominant Church is the Serbian Orthodox Church - although traces of a forming Montenegrin Orthodox Church are present.

2003 census

According to 2003 census, major religious groups in Montenegro were

• Orthodox Christians - 460,383 (74.24%)
• Sunni Muslims - 110,034 (17.74%)
• Roman Catholic Christians - 21,972 (3.54%)

No other religious group in Montenegro, including Protestant Christians and Jews, reaches 1%.

Orthodox Christianity

Orthodox Christianity is the dominant religion in Montenegro. Adherents of Orthodox Christianity in Montenegro are predominantly Montenegrins and Serbs. While the Serbs are adherents of the Serbian Orthodox Church and its diocese in Montenegro, the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, Montenegrins are divided between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (which is still in its phase of conceivement and is non-canonical and unrecognized).

The identity of Montenegrins and Serbs in Montenegro is largely based on Orthodox Christianity.

Islam

Muslims form the largest minority religion in the country. Montenegro's 110,000 Muslims make up 17.74% of the total population. They are divided into these main groups: Slavic Muslims split among Bosnian-speaking Bosniaks, Slavic Muslims, Montenegrin-speaking Montenegrins, and ethnic Albanians. Islam is the dominant religion in the northern municipalities, which are part of the Sandžak geographical region, and in municipalities where Albanians form a majority. Islam is the majority religion in Plav, Rožaje and Ulcinj, and is the dominant religion among Albanians, Bosniaks and Muslims by nationality.

Roman Catholic and Eastern Rite Catholic communities

Catholic Christianity is mostly present in the region of Boka Kotorska, where there is a significant presence of ethnic Croats. Also, a number of ethnic Albanians are adherents of Catholic Christianity.

According to CNEWA Canada Catholics of the Byzantine Rite number over 20 000 persons in the regions of Montenegro and Serbia:

In 2003 an Apostolic Exarchate was created for Greek Catholics in Serbia and Montenegro, headed by Bishop Djura Džudžar (born 1954, appointed 2003). It has 21 parishes and 22,720 faithful, consisting mostly of a group of ethnic Rusyn Greek Catholics in the region of Vojvodina.[1]

See also

• Islam in Montenegro
• History of the Jews in Montenegro
• Religion by country
• Roman Catholicism in Montenegro

External links

• www.monteislam.com
• Islamic Community in Montenegro
• Protestant Mission to Montenegro
• Demographics of Montenegro

Notes