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Eastern Orthodoxy in Saudi Arabia is a Christian minority consisting of people of various nationalities that are adherents of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The percentage of Saudi Arabian citizens who are Christians is officially zero. [1] The Saudi Arabian Mutaween ( Arabic: مطوعين), or Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (i.e., the religious police) prohibits the practice of any religion other than Islam. [2] The Greek Orthodox have some numerical strength. [3] Major nationalities in Saudi Arabia include Egyptians, Syrians, Palestinians and Lebanese. [4]
In 2018, it was reported that the religious police had stopped enforcing the ban on Christians religious services. It was also reported that a Coptic Mass was openly conducted for the first time in Riyadh during the visit of Ava Morkos, Coptic Bishop of Shobra Al-Kheima in Egypt. [5] [6] Morkos was originally invited to Saudi Arabia by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in March 2018. [6]