Christianity in Benin
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Image:Cotonoucathedral.jpg in Cotonou]]
Christians in Benin constitute approximately 52.2% of the country's population (2020 estimate){{cite web|url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/benin/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020|title=Religions in Benin | PEW-GRF|access-date=17 April 2021|archive-date=17 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017154104/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/benin/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020|url-status=live}}
In 2023, more than half of all Christians in Benin are Roman Catholic.[https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?REGION=0&u=24c&u=34c The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-01]
According to the 2002 census, 27.1 percent of the population of Benin was Roman Catholic, 5 percent Celestial Christian, 3.2 percent Methodist and 7.5 percent other Christian groups.[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90082.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Benin]. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Many nominal Christians also practice traditional local religious beliefs.[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/benin/ US State Dept 2022 Religious Freedom Report: Benin].
{{Christianity by country}}
History
Christianity first reached Benin in 1680, gaining more permanent footing in the 19th century. English Methodists arrived in 1843, operating amongst the coastal Gun people.[https://web.archive.org/web/20140331183049/http://sim.org/index.php/country/BJ Serving In Mission website]
Roman Catholicism
{{Main|Roman Catholicism in Benin}}
The Catholic hierarchy in Benin consists of the Archdiocese of Cotonou (including the Dioceses of Abomey, Dassa-Zoumé, Lokossa, Porto Novo) and the Parakou (including the Dioceses of Djougou, Kandi, Natitingou, and N'Dali).
In 2011 it was reported that in Benin there were 440 priests and 900 men and women in religious orders.{{cite book |last1=Houngnikpo |first1=Mathurin C. |last2=Decalo |first2=Samuel |date=2013 |title=Historical Dictionary of Benin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0yGPTsRubWEC&pg=PA303 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=94 |isbn=978-0810871717 |access-date=28 July 2015}} By 2020, there were 1349 priests and 1482 nuns.[https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/benin Catholics And Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-01]
See also
{{Portal|Christianity|Africa}}
References
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