Catholic Church in Tunisia

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The Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul in Tunis is now the only Catholic cathedral in the country.

The Catholic Church in Tunisia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

History

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Early Christianity

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Main article: Christianity in the Roman Africa province

Middle Ages

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By the mid of the eleventh century, only five bishoprics remained in all of Africa as mentioned in a letter by pope Leo IX who intervened in a struggle for precedence between the bishop of Gummi-Mahdia, who was favoured by the local rulers, and the bishop of Carthage, the traditional head of the church of Africa.[1] Giles of Assisi and several other Franciscans came to Tunis in 1219 in order to preach to the Muslims, but they were send back by the local Christians in fear of repercussions.[2]

Like the Almohads, the Hafsids maintained Christian mercenaries who lived in a neighbourhood closed off with a gate near the Hafsid palace complex. They worshipped in a church dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi which visitors described as "very beautiful and great" and which was allowed to ring the bell, a practice forbidden by the so-called Pact of Umar and a privilege not granted to the Genoese and Venetian merchants who maintained chapels in their merchant quarters. When Jean Adorno visited Tunis in 1470, he described these Christians as assimilated culturally and linguistically into Tunisian society, though they remained Christians and would sing in Latin during mass.[3]

Tunisian independence

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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).[4] 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.[5]

Dioceses

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See also: List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)

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.[6]

Archdiocese

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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.

Titular sees

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See also: Early African Church, Church of Carthage, List of Catholic titular sees, Africa Proconsularis, and Byzacena

Facilities

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In 2022, Catholics formed the majority (around 24,000 out of 30,000) of Christians in the country.[7] 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.[8] Occasionally, Catholic religious groups held services in private residences or other locations.[8]

Ecumenical outreach

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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.[9][10]

Freedom of religion

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In 2023, the country was scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom.[11] In the same year, it was ranked as the 36th worst place in the world to be a Christian.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lower 2014, p. 614.
  2. ^ Whalen 2011, p. 491.
  3. ^ Lower 2016, p. 119.
  4. ^ Angus Maddison (20 September 2007). Contours of the World Economy 1 - 2030 AD:Essays in Macro-Economic History: Essays in Macro-Economic History. OUP Oxford. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-19-922721-1. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Holy See, Tunisia Sign Accord; Church Cedes Considerable Property", The Guardian 17 July 1964
  6. ^ GCatholic - data for all sections
  7. ^ US International Religious Freedom Report 2022: Tunisia. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
  8. ^ a b International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Tunisia. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ William D. Montalbano, Pope Seeks Tolerance in Visit to Tunisia. Los Angeles Times. April 13, 1996.
  10. ^ William D. Montalbano. Pope Urges Dialogue With Muslims. Los Angeles Times. April 15, 1996. There are an estimated 8.5 million Muslims in Tunisia.
  11. ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  12. ^ Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-08

Sources

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