Christianity in Morocco
Encyclopedia
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Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
constitute approximately 1.1% (~380,000) of the country's population (34,859,364 - July 2009 est.). Article 6 of the Moroccan constitution states, that Islam is official religion of the state. Christian communities can openly practice their faiths (freedom of worship is guaranted by the constitution), however distribution of Christian materials among the Muslims is illegal. There were reports that some foreign missionaries were expelled from Morocco for distributing Christian materials and proselytizing Muslims.
History
ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
appeared during the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times, although it disappeared after the Islamic conquests.
According to tradition, the martyrdom of St. Marcellus
Marcellus of Tangier
Saint Marcellus of Tangier or Saint Marcellus the Centurion is venerated as a Martyr Saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church...
took place on 28 July 298 at Tingis (Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
). Since the Tetrarchy
Tetrarchy
The term Tetrarchy describes any system of government where power is divided among four individuals, but usually refers to the tetrarchy instituted by Roman Emperor Diocletian in 293, marking the end of the Crisis of the Third Century and the recovery of the Roman Empire...
(Emperor Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
's reform of governmental structures in 296), Mauretania Tingitana
Mauretania Tingitana
Mauretania Tingitana was a Roman province located in northwestern Africa, coinciding roughly with the northern part of present-day Morocco. The province extended from the northern peninsula, opposite Gibraltar, to Chellah and Volubilis to the south, and as far east as the Oued Laou river. Its...
became part of the Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Hispaniae (a Latin plural) and hence in the Praetorian Prefecture of the Gauls (Mauretania Caesariensis was in the diocese of Africa, in the other pretorian prefecture within the western empire), and remained so until its conquest by the Vandals. Lucilius Constantius is recorded as governor (praeses
Praeses
Praeses , is a Latin word meaning "Seated in front of, i.e. at the head ", has both ancient and modern uses.-Roman imperial use:...
) in the mid to late fourth century.
The foreign Christian community (Roman Catholic and Protestant) consists of 5,000 practising members, although estimates of Christians residing in the country at any particular time range up to 25,000. The majority of Christians in Morocco are foreigners, although Voice of the Martyrs
Voice of the Martyrs
The Voice of the Martyrs is the name of several related Christian organizations founded through the influence of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand in such countries as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. These VOM missions aim to raise awareness about the many thousands of Christians...
reports there is a growing number of native Moroccans converting to Christianity.
Roman Catholicism in Morocco
There are around 20,000 CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s in Morocco, most of them are Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an expatriates, with a big majority of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
from colonization and post-independence, the second group is composed of Sub-Saharan immigrants, mainly students.
Protestant
- The Evangelical Church of Morocco (EEAM Eglise Evangelique Au Maroc).
- Casablanca International Protestant Church
- Rabat International Church
Anglican
- The Anglican Church of Morocco is part of the Diocese of Europe, which is itself part of the Province of CanterburyProvince of CanterburyThe Province of Canterbury, also called the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England...
in the Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. There are two chaplaincies, one in Casablanca and one in Tangier, which has its own building, St AndrewsChurch of Saint Andrew, TangierThe Church of Saint Andrew is an Anglican church in Tangier, Morocco, consecrated in 1905.-History:In 1880, Hassan I of Morocco donated land to the British community in order to build a small Anglican church in Tangier...
.
There are also many Moroccans who are converting to Christianity, especially in the rural areas.
Orthodox
- The Orthodox Church of Morocco (Russian, Greek).
See also
- Islam in MoroccoIslam in MoroccoIslam is the largest religion in Morocco, with roughly 98.7% of the population adhering to it.-History:Islam was first brought to Morocco in 680 by an Arab invasion under Uqba ibn Nafi, who was a general serving under the Umayyads of Damascus. In 788, The Idrisids ruled Morocco, being the first...
- Bahá'í Faith in MoroccoBahá'í Faith in MoroccoThe Bahá'í Faith in Morocco began about 1946. In 1953 the Bahá'ís initiated a Ten Year Crusade during which a number of Bahá'ís pioneered to various parts of Morocco - many of whom came from Egypt and a few from the United States including Helen Elsie Austin. By April 1955 the first Bahá'í Local...
- History of the Jews in MoroccoHistory of the Jews in MoroccoMoroccan Jews constitute an ancient community. Before the founding of Israel in 1948, there were about 250,000 to 350,000 Jews in the country, but fewer than 7,000 or so remain.-Under the Romans:...
Further reading
External links
- CIPC - Casablanca International Protestant Church
- TTC - Tanger Tuesday Church
- RIC - Rabat International Church
- EEAM The Evangelical Church of Morocco
- ECAM The Catholic Church in Morocco
- AECAM Aumonerie des Etudiants Catholiques Au Maroc
- Enseignement Catholique Au Maroc Hiwarmaroc a site of Moroccan converts to Christianity.
- Muslims Turn to Christ in Morocco - CBN Report