Red Greece

Greek Orthodox: Why are there Lebanese and Jordanian people with this religion?

I have a couple of Lebanese and Jordanian friends, and their religion is Greek Orthodox, but they have no Greek in their family ancestry. Why is this?

Public Comments

1. Greek Orthodox is one of two halves of the original church - the other is the Catholic church. The Greeks were the Eastern half, where the Byzantine empire used to be. This encompassed the Middle East. Most Christians of the Middle East who are not Catholic are Orthodox because they are descended from Christians of ancient pre-Islamic times.
2. just as you don't have to be Roman to be a Roman Catholic... you don't have to be Greek to be a Greek Orthodox i
3. The Patriarch of Jerusalem is a Greek Orthodox Patriarch. The Patriarch of Antioch is an Arab Orthodox Patriarch. Most Arabs are under the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who seems to be of Greek descent, but the Orthodox church is not divided by race.