Christianity in
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
is the second largest religion practiced by about 8.7% of the population as of 2022. Other reports suggest that this number may be as high as 12%.
Restrictions on religious freedom
Contact with Christians in other countries, the import of
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
s and public celebration of
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
are banned by decree. Christians in Brunei are not allowed to proselytise.
Schools are not allowed to teach Christianity.
[ If religious organisations fail to register, its members can be imprisoned.][ Teaching of non-Muslim religions in schools is prohibited.][ Marriages between Christians and Muslims are prohibited.][ Brunei is the latest Muslim country to enact a law that makes apostasy a crime punishable with death. In 2013, it enacted Syariah (Sharia’a) Penal Code. Section 112(1) of the new law states that a Muslim who declares himself non-Muslim commits a crime punishable with death, or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding thirty years, depending on evidence. Under the required wait period between notification of law and its validity under Brunei’s constitution, its new apostasy law and corporal punishment were to be applied starting October 2014, and capital punishment was to be imposed starting October 2015.
In 2015, following up on a 2014 ban on celebrations that could lead Muslims astray or damage their faith, the Sultan of Brunei ]Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...
banned public Christmas celebrations. Private celebrations are permitted to continue, so long as they are kept secret from Muslims.
In 2023, Freedom House rates the country's religious freedom as 1 out of 4.
Protestantism
In 1996 Protestants made up 1.3% of the population of Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
, 0.6% Evangelical.
In 2010 Protestants made up 4.4% of the population of Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
.
In 2020, they made up 3% of the population.
* Borneo Evangelical Church
The Borneo Evangelical Church or SIB ( ms, Sidang Injil Borneo) is an evangelical Christian denomination in Malaysia. The church was organised in 1959 from the work of the Borneo Evangelical Mission with help from the Christian and Missionary A ...
[Source of the list: The World Christian Encyclopedia, Second edition, Volume 1, p. 153]
* Korean churches
The practice of Christianity in Korea is marginal in North Korea, but significant in South Korea, where it revolves around two of its largest branches, Protestantism and Catholicism, accounting for 8.6 millionAccording to figures compiled by ...
[
* ]Methodist Church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...
[
* ]Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
[
* ]Anglican Church
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
(Diocese of Kuching
The Diocese of Kuching is a diocese of the Anglican Church of the Province of South East Asia that covers Sarawak (in Malaysia) and Brunei. Founded in 1962, the see was originally established as the Bishopric of Sarawak linked to the Diocese of La ...
)
Roman Catholic Church
There are three Roman Catholic parishes in Brunei.[ ]
They belong to the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam
The Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Bruneiensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction covering the territory of Brunei and headed by an ''apostolic vicar''. The first apostolic vicar was Corneli ...
. The cardinal Cornelius Sim
Cornelius Sim DD (16 September 1951 – 29 May 2021) was a Bruneian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Vicar Apostolic of Brunei from 2004 until his death. He had previously served as the apostolic prefect of Brunei from 1997 to ...
was the first bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
and the Vicar Apostolic of Brunei until his passing in May 2021. He was ordained bishop in 2005 and was made a cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
by Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
in 2020.
See also
*Religion in Brunei
Among religions in Brunei, Sunni Islam is predominant. In 2016, it was estimated that 80.9% of Brunei's population is Muslim. However, other religions also have a considerable foothold in Brunei: 7% of the population is Christian and another 7% is ...
*Islam in Brunei
Islam is Brunei's official religion, 82.70 percent of the population is Muslim, mostly Sunnis of Bruneian Malay people, Malay origin who follow the Shafi, Syafi'e fiqh, school of thought. Most of the other Muslim groups are Malay Kedayans (conve ...
*Roman Catholicism in Brunei
The Catholic Church in Brunei Darussalam is a part of the worldwide Catholic Church, in communion with the pope in Rome, and constitutionally recognised within the state of Brunei Darussalam. The entire territory of the Church in Brunei is organi ...
*Human rights in Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
*Freedom of religion in Brunei
Brunei functions as a Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy, following the Constitution of Brunei. According to the Constitution, "the official religion of Brunei Darussalam shall be the Islamic Religion." At the same time, the constitution guarante ...
References
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fr:Religion à Brunei