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The Catholic Church in Tunisia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
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| Catholic Church by country |
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| Catholicismportal |
The Catholic Church in Tunisia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Catholic church in Tunisia presently comprises only a single Latin archbishopric, in the national capital Tunis :
There are no Eastern Catholic, pre-diocesan or other exempt jurisdictions in Tunisia.
As this solo-episcopate warrants no national conference, it partakes in the regional Episcopal conference of Northern Africa (French: Conférence Episcopale Régionale du Nord de l’Afrique, C.E.R.N.A.) together with Algeria, Morocco (hosting the headquarters in Rabat), Western Sahara and Libya, the 'Great Maghreb' (Arab region West of Egypt).
There is also an Apostolic Nunciature (papal diplomatic representation at embassy-level) to Tunisia, which is however vested in the Apostolic Nunciature to neighbour Algeria (in Algiers).
All defunct jurisdictions are precursors of current (residential or, mostly, titular) sees. [1]
There are around 30,700 Catholics in this predominantly Islamic country, which forms a single diocese – the Archdiocese of Tunis. Accordingly, the only Catholic cathedral is that of St. Vincent de Paul in Tunis. The building was completed in 1897, while Tunisia was a French protectorate. Catholic influence during the colonial period also included extensive missionary work by the French Primate of Africa, Cardinal Lavigerie. The cathedral in his time was the church of Saint Louis in Carthage, was also built in the 19th century, when the archdiocese, under Cardinal Lavigerie, held the primacy of all Roman Africa.
From the late 19th century to after World War II, Tunisia was home to large populations of Christian French, Italian and Maltese descent (255,000 Europeans in 1956). [2] The number of Catholics fell following Tunisian independence. The ownership of many Catholic buildings, including the Saint Louis Cathedral, was transferred to the state under a modus vivendi reached between the Holy See and the Republic of Tunisia. [3]
In 2022, Catholics formed the majority (around 24,000 out of 30,000) of Christians in the country. [4] In the past, the Diocese of Tunis operates 12 churches, 9 schools, several libraries, and 2 clinics as well as holding religious services, running a monastery, freely organized cultural activities, and performed charitable work throughout the country. [5] Occasionally, Catholic religious groups held services in private residences or other locations. [5]
Pope John Paul II visited Tunisia on April 15, 1996, to give support to the Church there and called for a peaceful dialogue between Muslims and Christians across North Africa. [6] [7]
In 2023, the country was scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom. [8] In the same year, it was ranked as the 36th worst place in the world to be a Christian. [9]
Byzacena was a Late Roman province in the central part of Roman North Africa, which is now roughly Tunisia, split off from Africa Proconsularis.
The Archdiocese of Tunis is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Tunis, Tunisia. It was founded on 10 November 1884 under the name "Archdiocese of Carthage", with territory corresponding to that of the then French protectorate of Tunisia. On 9 July 1964, it became a territorial prelature under the ecclesiastical title of Prelature of Tunis. It was made a diocese, keeping the name of Tunis, on 31 May 1995, and raised to the rank of archdiocese on 22 May 2010.
The name Early African Church is given to the Christian communities inhabiting the region known politically as Roman Africa, and comprised geographically somewhat around the area of the Roman Diocese of Africa, namely: the Mediterranean littoral between Cyrenaica on the east and the river Ampsaga on the west; that part of it that faces the Atlantic Ocean being called Mauretania, in addition to Byzacena. Thus corresponding somewhat to contemporary Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. The evangelization of Africa followed much the same lines as those traced by Roman civilization. From the late fifth and early sixth century, the region included several Christian Berber kingdoms.
Tebourba is a town in Tunisia, located about 20 miles (30 km) from the capital Tunis, former ancient city and bishopric, now a Latin Catholic titular see.
Almost all Roman roads in Africa were built in the first two centuries AD. In 14 AD, Legio III Augusta completed a road from Tacape to Ammaedara: the first Roman road in Africa. In 42 AD, the kingdom of Mauretania was annexed by Rome. Emperor Claudius then restored and widened a Carthaginian trail and extended it west and east. This way the Romans created a continuous coastal highway stretching for 2,100 miles from the Atlantic to the Nile. In 137, Hadrian built the Via Hadriana in the eastern desert of Egypt. It ran from Antinoopolis to Berenice.
Sufes was a town in the late Roman province of Byzacena, which became a Christian bishopric that is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.
The Archdiocese of Carthage, also known as the Church of Carthage, was a Latin Catholic diocese established in Carthage, Roman Empire, in the 2nd century. Agrippin was the first named bishop, around 230 AD. The temporal importance of the city of Carthage in the Roman Empire had previously been restored by Julius Caesar and Augustus. When Christianity became firmly established around the Roman province of Africa Proconsulare, Carthage became its natural ecclesiastical seat. Carthage subsequently exercised informal primacy as an archdiocese, being the most important center of Christianity in the whole of Roman Africa, corresponding to most of today's Mediterranean coast and inland of Northern Africa. As such, it enjoyed honorary title of patriarch as well as primate of Africa: Pope Leo I confirmed the primacy of the bishop of Carthage in 446: "Indeed, after the Roman Bishop, the leading Bishop and metropolitan for all Africa is the Bishop of Carthage."
Aquae Novae in Proconsulari is a former Ancient city and bishopric in Roman Africa and present Latin Catholic titular see.
Aquae in Proconsulari is a former Ancient city and bishopric in Roman Africa and present Latin Catholic titular see.
Carthage is a commune in Tunis Governorate, Tunisia. It is named for, and includes in its area, the archaeological site of Carthage.
Abbir Germaniciana also known as Abir Cella is the name of a Roman and Byzantine-era city in the Roman province of Africa proconsularis. The city was also the seat of a bishopric, in the ecclesiastical province of Carthage, and is best known as the home town of the Pre Nicaean father, Cyprian, who was bishop of Abbir Germaniciana around 250AD.
Abbir Maius also known as Abbiritanus was a Roman and Byzantine-era civitas (city), later municipium, in the Roman province of Africa proconsularis.
Bulnensis also known as Bure is a titular episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Church ascribed to the ecclesiastical province of Africa Proconsularis, as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Carthage.
Furni, also known as a Furnos Maius and Ain-Fourna, was a Roman era civitas of the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis on the Oued Kibira tributary of the Meliane River.
Henchir-El-Msaadine is a Roman era set of ruins near Tebourba(Ancient Thuburbo Minus) in modern Tunisia, North Africa. The site is outside of Tunis. The ruins are tentatively identified as the remains of Municipium Aurelium Antoninianum Furnitanorum also known as Furnos Minor, a city of Africa Proconsularis. Furnos Minus had the rank of a Municipium (city) of Africa Proconsularis and has been identified through Epigraphic remains
Maximiana in Byzacena is a titular bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church. It goes back to a former bishopric in the Roman province of Byzacena or Africa proconsularis in the Sahel region of Tunisia.
Feradi Minor was an ancient town in the Roman province of Africa proconsularis in the Sahel region of Tunisia. During late antiquity it was in the province of Byzacena.
Muzuca was a Roman Town of the Roman province of Byzacena during late antiquity. The town has tentatively been identified with the ruins at Henchir-Besra in modern Tunisia. Very little is known of the city, though in situ epigraphical evidence gives us the name and that in late antiquity it achieved the status of Municipium.
Thimida Regia is a former Roman city of the Roman province of Byzacena in North Africa. The town was the episcopal see of an ancient Christian diocese which flourished until the arrival of Arab armies in the 640s. That diocese survives today only as a Latin Church titular see of the Catholic Church, and has effectively ceased to function. The current bishop is Florencio Armando Colín Cruz of Mexico.
