Riga, October 29, 2019
Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Riga. Photo: spzh.news
The Latvian Orthodox Church has been restoring previously defunct churches and building new churches since Latvia separated from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Meeting in Riga today, the Council of the Latvian Orthodox Church announced that since 1992, the number of Orthodox communities in Latvia has grown from 93 to 126, reports Blagovest-Info.
The Council also called on church communities to pay special attention to the technical condition and construction of new churches.
It was also decided to send a letter to state authorities, expressing gratitude for its favorable attitude towards the Latvian Church and its support for patriotic activities aimed at uniting the people of Latvia and preserving traditional Christian values.
According to a sociological survey last year, Orthodoxy is the largest religion in Latvia, with every fourth resident identifying as an Orthodox Christian. The second largest religion is Catholicism with 20% of the population, and third is Lutheranism with 17%.
As Grigory Shugaev has written, many Orthodox in Latvia are actually former Catholics and Lutherans.
The Latvian Orthodox Church is an autonomous structure within the Moscow Patriarchate.
