Other Nations—1

This blog is the first of six to discuss nations that do not have ecclesiastic provinces.  Typically the jurisdictions are directly subject to the pope.

North Africa

Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara

Libya

Catholicism came to Libya during the days of the Roman Empire, but suffered a setback when Arab Muslims conquered Libya in the 7^th Century.  European Christians briefly controlled Libya in the 12^th Century before it once again fell to Muslims.  Italy took control of Libya in 1911 and over the next 40 years, 150,000 Italians settled in Libya.  Italy yielded control of Libya as a result of the Second World War and Libya claimed independence in 1951.  Muammar Gaddifi staged a coup d’etat against the Libyan government in 1969 and expelled most of the remaining Italians from the country.  Today, Libya has a population of 6.8 million and almost all of the people are Muslim.  There are between 20,000 and 50,000 Catholics in Libya, depending on the source, and these Catholics are of Italian, Maltese, and Filipino descent.  The Catholics are part of four jurisdictions, all of which are immediately subject to the Pope.

·       The Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1640 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1913.   The Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi was established in 1927.

·       The Apostolic Vicariate of Derna was established in 1939 but has not had a bishop since 1948, and the Apostolic Prefecture of Misurata was established in 1939 but has not had a leader since 1985.

Today there are two Catholic churches in Libya—one in Tripoli and one in Benghazi.  Both are administered by Franciscan priests from Malta, one of whom is the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli and the administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi.

Morocco

Morocco was part of the Roman Empire and many of the people were Christian—notably St. Augustine.  Arab Muslims controlled Morocco after 700, but many Christians remained there until the 13^th Century.  By then, almost all Moroccans were Muslim.  Starting in the 11th Century, Morocco was ruled by a succession of Muslim kings.  [An interesting historical note:  in 1777, Morocco was the first nation to recognize the United States as an independent nation.]  In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, France and Spain ruled parts of Morocco, and many people from those countries settled there.  France granted independence to Morocco in 1956 as did Spain, although Spain retains two coastal cities.

Morocco has a total population of 34 million, almost all of whom are Muslim—the King claims to be a direct descendant of Muhammad.  Prior to independence, there were half a million Catholics in Morocco, but today there are fewer than 25,000 and most are of French or Spanish ancestry or are from sub-Saharan Africa.  These Catholics are served by two archdioceses, both of which are immediately subject to the Pope.  Over 90 percent of these Catholics are in the Archdiocese of Rabat, which was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1923 and became an archdiocese in 1955.

St. Peter's Cathedral in Rabat, from Wikipedia

The Archdiocese of Tanger was initially established as a diocese in 1469, before being suppressed in 1570.  It became an apostolic prefecture in 1630, an apostolic vicariate in 1908, before becoming an archdiocese in 1956. 

Holy Spirit Cathedral in Tanger from Wikipedia.

Tunisia

Tunisia became part of the Roman Empire after Rome conquered Carthage in 146 B.C.  The region prospered under Rome and eventually became Christian.  Arab Muslims conquered what is now Tunisia in the 7^th Century and over the next 400 years the people became Muslim, although some Christians remained.  Tunisia became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1534 and was conquered by France in 1881.  European colonization followed and by 1956, when France granted independence to Tunisia, there were over 250,000 French and Italian people living in Tunisia.

Today, almost all of Tunisia’s 12 million people are Muslim and only about 25,000 are Catholic.  The Catholics are served by the Archdiocese of Tunis, which is immediately subject to the Pope.  Tunis was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1843 and was suppressed in 1884 (in favor of the Archdiocese of Carthage which existed from 1884 to 1964).  Tunis became a territorial prelature in 1964, a diocese in 1995, and an archdiocese in 2010.  The Catholics are mostly of Italian and French descent, but some are indigenous Tunisians.

Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul in Tunis from Wikipedia.

Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory that is claimed by Morocco and by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.  Once a colony of Spain, the territory gained independence in 1976, but its governance has been in dispute ever since.  Western Sahara’s 620,000 people are Muslim, but there are a few hundred Catholics (almost all Spaniards).  They are served by the Apostolic Prefecture of Western Sahara, which was established (under a different name) in 1954 and is immediately subject to the Pope.

Middle East

Cyprus and the Arabian Peninsula

Cyprus

Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain in 1960 but almost immediately was immersed in a civil war between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.  Today about one third of the island nation claims to be the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.  The Turkish portion of the nation is presumably all Muslim and the following statistics are only for the Greek part of Cyprus.

Christianity came to Cyprus during apostolic times and the apostle, Barnabas, is believed to be buried in Cyprus.  Cyprus has 1.2 million people and 89 percent are Greek Orthodox.  There are about 30,000 Catholics.  About 10,000 Maronite Catholics form the Archdiocese of Cyprus, which was established in 1357, and is immediately subject to the Maronite Patriarch.  Roman Rite Catholics are under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Arabian Peninsula

Although Christianity reached the Arabian Peninsula in apostolic times, the region has long been predominantly Muslim.  Roman Rite Catholics in the Arabian Peninsula are divided between the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia and the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.  

The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1953 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1954.  It is headquartered in Kuwait City and is directly under the jurisdiction of the Pope.  Catholics in four countries are served by this vicariate—Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.  There are about 2.6 million Roman Rite Catholics in these countries served by 11 parishes.  Most of the Catholics are foreign workers.

Holy Family Cathedral in Kuwait City from Wikipedia.

Kuwait has a population of 4.4 million, about 70 percent of whom are immigrants.  Muslims account for 75 percent of the total and Christians for 18 percent.  Catholics number 370,000.  In addition to the Roman Rite Catholics, there are a few dozen Greek-Melkite and Syriac Catholics in Kuwait.  The Greek-Melkite Catholics form the Patriarchal Exarchate of Kuwait which was created in 1972 and is immediately subject to the Greek-Melkite Patriarch.  Syriac Catholics are part of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Basra and the Gulf in Iraq. 

Bahrain has 1.4 million people and over 70 percent are Muslim.  Almost half of Bahrain’s population is made up of foreign workers.  Catholics number 100,000. 

Qatar has 2.4 million people and two-thirds are Muslim.  Catholics number 350,000.

Saudi Arabia has a population of 29 million.  Saudi citizens are 100 percent Muslim, but there are 1.6 million Catholics—mostly Filipino.  Unlike the other Arabian countries, freedom of worship is not allowed in Saudi Arabia and there are no Christian churches in the country.

The other three nations of the Arabian Peninsula—the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen—are under the jurisdiction of the Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Arabia, located in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.  The Apostolic Prefecture of Jedda was established in 1840 and became the Apostolic Vicariate of Aden in 1888.  It acquired its current name in 2011.  The Vicariate serves one million Catholics in 16 parishes in the three countries and is immediately subject to the Pope.  Almost all of the Catholics in these countries are foreign workers.  The Vicariate is staffed by the Capuchins of Florence, Italy.

Both pictures are of St. Joseph Cathedral in Abu Dhabi.  The top picture is from Wikipedia and the bottom picture is from the cathedral's website.

The United Arab Emirates has 9.7 million people and 88 percent are immigrants.  About 75 percent of the people are Muslim and over 800,000 are Catholic.

Oman has a population of 4 million and almost half are immigrants.  Muslims account for 86 percent of the total population.  There are over 80,000 Catholics.

Yemen has 29 million people, almost all of whom are Muslim.  There are only a few thousand Catholics.

Definitions

There are dioceses and archdioceses that are not part of a province and that are directly under the jurisdiction of the Pope.  There are also missionary jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include apostolic vicariates, apostolic prefectures, and territorial prelatures.  An apostolic vicariate is led by a bishop and the others are led by priests below the level of a bishop. 

Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite.  Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage.  Many Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches.  Eastern rite churches trace their heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  Eastern rite churches sometimes use different terminologies.  For example, a diocese might be called an eparchy and is led by an eparch.  A vicariate apostolic is called an exarchy and is led by an exarch.