Persecution of Eastern Orthodox Christians

Persecution of Eastern Orthodox Christians is when people are treated cruelly or harshly because of their beliefs in the Eastern Orthodox Christian religion. For example, during some periods of history the Eastern Orthodox Church was banned, and people were not allowed to practice that religion or even be in contact with other people who practiced it. This meant that people could get punished, or even killed, just for worshipping or teaching about their religion. Sometimes governments also took away the land and property of Eastern Orthodox Churches because of their religion. All of this was very unfair and hurtful, and so it's called persecution.