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Christianity is a minority religion in Yemen. The Yemeni constitution mentions
religious liberty Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedo ...
. There are three churches in
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
.


History

Christianity was a widespread religion on the territory of contemporary Yemen as early as in 6th century before arrival of Islam in Yemen. Divisions between Jews and Christians led to the latter being persecuted under the Jewish Kingdom of Himyar. After the Ethiopian invasion of Yemen, the Ethiopian-based
Kingdom of Axum The Kingdom of Aksum ( gez, መንግሥተ አክሱም, ), also known as the Kingdom of Axum or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based primarily in wh ...
supported the local Christian community and tried to encourage the growth of Christianity in the region. This led to a revenge suppression of Yemenite Jews by their new rulers.


Present situation

According to one 2008 estimate, there are 3,000 Christians in Yemen, most of whom are foreign nationals and temporary residents.United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Yemen: International Religious Freedom Report 2008
 Pew-Templeton estimates the number of Christians in Yemen at 40,000. There are about 4,000 Catholics in Yemen, who belong to the
Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia The Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Arabiæ) was an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates and Yeme ...
. The ''
World Christian Encyclopedia ''World Christian Encyclopedia'' is a reference work, with its third edition published by Edinburgh University Press in November 2019. The ''WCE'' is known for providing membership statistics for major world religions and Christian denominations ...
'', Second edition, Volume 1, states the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church as largest denominations in Yemen. In Aden there are three Catholic churches and one Anglican church. In
San'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
there are weekly Protestant services. Christian missions from several countries are active in Yemen. There are hospitals that belong to foreign Christian institutions. Protestants make up less than 1% of the population of Yemen. An American Baptist congregation is affiliated with a hospital in Jibla. The Anglican Church runs two charitable clinics in Aden. Some say that the relations between Christians and Muslims contribute to religious freedom. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is not legally recognized by the state. A 2015 study estimates that there are 400 Christians from a Muslim background in the country. Yemen is number five on Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.


See also

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Roman Catholicism in Yemen The Catholic Church in Yemen is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Christians as a group make up 0.06% of Yemen’s population. Most of these are Orthodox Christians. In 2020, there were fo ...
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Protestantism in Yemen Protestants make up 0.05% of the population of Yemen in 2023, while Christians as a group make up 0.08% of the country’s population. It is unknown when Protestants first arrived in Yemen, but records show that the British Bible Society opened a ...
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Missionaries of Charity attack in Aden The Missionaries of Charity attack in Aden was a mass murder crime committed by unknown gunmen inside a home for older people in Aden, Yemen on 4 March 2016. 16 people were killed, including four Catholic nuns. An Indian priest, Tom Ozhonanie ...
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Najran Najran ( ar, نجران '), is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated as a new town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen f ...


References

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