{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] --> {{Infobox Christian denomination | name = Catholic Church in Algeria | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image = Cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur, Alger.jpg | imagewidth = 250px | alt = | caption = [[Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Alger]] | abbreviation = | type = [[National polity]] | main_classification = [[Catholic Church]] | orientation = [[Latin Church]] | polity = | governance = | structure = | leader_title = [[Pope]] | leader_name = {{incumbent pope}} | leader_title1 = [[Apostolic Nunciature to Algeria|Apostolic Nuncio]] | leader_name1 = [[Javier Herrera Corona]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Resignations and Appointments, 22.11.2025 |url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/11/22/251122b.html |website=Holy See Press Office |access-date=14 April 2026}}</ref> | fellowships_type = | fellowships = | fellowships_type1 = | fellowships1 = | division_type = | division = | division_type1 = | division1 = | division_type2 = | division2 = | division_type3 = | division3 = | associations = | area = [[Algeria]] | language = | headquarters = [[Algiers]] | origin_link = | founder = | founded_date = 2nd century AD | founded_place = | separated_from = | parent = | merger = | absorbed = | merged_into = | defunct = | congregations_type = | congregations = | members = ca. 8,000 (2020)<ref name="cac">[https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/algeria Catholics and Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-28]</ref> | ministers_type = Priests | ministers = 62 | missionaries = | churches = | hospitals = | nursing_homes = | aid = | primary_schools = | secondary_schools = | tax_status = | tertiary = | other_names = | publications = | website = [https://eglise-catholique-algerie.org/ Eglise Catholique Algerie] | slogan = | logo = | footnotes = }} {{Catholic Church by country}} The '''Catholic Church in Algeria''' is part of the worldwide [[Catholic Church]], under the spiritual leadership of the [[pope]] in [[Rome]]. Prior to independence, the European Catholic settlers had historic legacy and powerful presence,<ref name = "Decolonization" /> but today Catholics constitute only a small minority.
==History== ===Antiquity=== {{See also|Christianity in the Roman Africa province}} Christianity was introduced to Algeria around the 2nd century AD. The popularity of Christianity after the [[edict of Milan]] is nowhere else as visible as in North Africa where many huge [[baptistries]] were built to facilitate the spread of the religion in the fourth century.{{sfn|Elliott|2024|p=16}} At the same time, the [[Donatist heresy]] spread in Roman Africa, also enticing many who had grievances with the Roman state, until it was condemned by a commission in 313 AD.{{sfn|Elliott|2024|p=22}} Nevertheless, Donatism persisted until the beginning of the fifth century when [[Augustine of Hippo]] turned the tide in favour of the Church of Rome.{{sfn|Elliott|2024|pp=22–25}}
When the [[Vandal conquest of Roman Africa|Vandals conquered North Africa]] in the fifth century, their ruler Gaiseric began a full-scale persecution of Catholic Romans and Africans, banning all Catholic worship, seizing Catholic churches and targeting especially Catholic bishops, priests and deacons. While many were murdered or tortured, also lay people were massacred.{{sfn|Craughwell|2008|p=80}} After the reconquest by the Eastern Roman Empire, the Catholic faith was reintroduced. By the mid-seventh century, the majority of North Africa's population had been Christian for a long time, though it was far from homogenous and some remote autochthonous tribes remained pagan. The majority of Christians in the cities and towns was Catholic as were most bishops and clergy.{{sfn|Kaegi|2010|p=72}} Few Monotheletes existed and in 646 metropolitans in Mauretania, Numidia and Byzaca reportedly held synods which rejected Monotheletic doctrine and reported it to [[Pope Theodore I]].{{sfn|Kaegi|2010|p=75}}
===Medieval period=== After the Muslim conquest of North Africa, indigenous Christian communities did not vanish immediately but disappeared in the eleventh and twelfth as part of a long and slow process.{{sfn|Kaegi|2010|p=77}}{{sfn|Lower|2014|p=613}} This growing weakness can be seen in the greater need of the North African church to look to Rome for help, especially as the shrinking communities and clergy meant that fewer bishops could settle disputes or consecrate new clergy.{{sfn|Lower|2014|pp=613–614}} As such, [[Pope Gregory VII]] corresponded in 1076 both with the Catholic community of [[Bougie]] as well as with its ruler, Emir [[Nasir ibn Alnas|al-Nasir]], who had written to Gregory, presenting him with gifts and asking him to ordain a certain Servandus as bishop.{{sfn|Roggema|Thomas|Monferrer Sala|2011|pp=188–189}}
A new chapter for the North African church begun in the thirteenth century when newcomers from Europe took up residence in the larger coastal towns. These included Christian captives, merchants as well as mercenaries hired by local Muslim rulers.{{sfn|Lower|2014|pp=614–615}} In order to provide for their spiritual needs and administer rites, various orders such as the [[Trinitarians]], [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]] and [[Franciscans]] sent missions to North Africa with the aid of the popes.{{sfn|Lower|2014|pp=615–616}}
===Colonial period=== A new era begun for the Church with the [[Invasion of Algiers (1830)|arrival of French forces in 1830]], in which many settlers from France, Spain, Italy and Malta came to Algeria.{{sfn|McGee|2008|p=12}} After some early conflict about the application of the [[Concordat of 1801|concordat between France and the Holy See]] and the right to appoint priests to Algeria, a papal bull announcing the creation of the [[diocese of Algiers]] resolved these issues tentatively in 1838. The new diocese was dependent on the Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence and was under the authority of the concordate. The first bishop, [[Antoine-Adolphe Dupuch]], arrived in Algiers with the relics of [[St. Augustine]] for which [[Saint Augustin Basilica|he commissioned a basilica]] to be built in the ruins of [[Hippo Regius|Hippo]].{{sfn|Fontaine|2016|pp=14–15}}
[[Cardinal Lavigerie]] founded the [[White Fathers]] in an effort to spread Christianity among the Muslims while intending to understand and respect the native culture. [[Charles de Foucauld]], a hermit whose life and teaching inspired the foundation of many spiritual congregations, also encouraged the respect for the native religion and culture.{{sfn|McGee|2008|p=12}}
Prior to independence, Algeria was home to a million [[Catholic]] settlers (10%) who had a historic legacy and powerful presence.<ref name="Decolonization">{{cite book|last1=Greenberg|first1=Udi|last2= A. Foster|first2=Elizabeth|title=Decolonization and the Remaking of Christianity|year=2023|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|location=Pennsylvania|isbn=9781512824971|pages=105}}</ref> Some Algerians of [[Berbers|Berber]] (mostly [[Kabyle people|Kabyle]]) or Arab descent converted to Christianity during the [[Algerian franc|French colonialism]].<ref name = "Decolonization" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ly4DgtT3LkC&q=Moroccan+christianity&pg=PA653|title=The Encyclopedia of Christianity: J-O|access-date=20 April 2016|isbn=978-0-8028-2415-8|last1=Fahlbusch|first1=Erwin|last2=Bromiley|first2=Geoffrey William|last3=Lochman|first3=Jan Milic|last4=Mbiti|first4=John|last5=Pelikan|first5=Jaroslav|last6=Vischer|first6=Lukas|last7=Barrett|first7=David B.|year=2003|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |archive-date=26 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826093819/https://books.google.com/books?id=7ly4DgtT3LkC&q=Moroccan+christianity&pg=PA653|url-status=live}}</ref>
===After Algerian independence=== Since independence in 1962, the European Catholic population has decreased substantially, and many Catholics left to France or Spain. According to [[Henri Teissier|archbishop Teissier]], the Church underwent three stages of death: in the first, directly after independence, the vast majority of Christians left; the second took place in 1993 when all foreigners were ordered out of the country under threat of the [[Armed Islamic Group of Algeria|G.I.A.]]; and the third took place during the [[Algerian Civil War|Algerian civil war]] when, after the assassination of the [[19 martyrs of Algeria]], by 1999 only a few thousand Christians remained in the country.{{sfn|McGee|2008|p=29}}
Shortly after independence, some 900,000 European settlers departed, together with most of the native Christians of Algerian and Muslim origin. After a series of violence events over 1962 more than 80% of Catholic settlers left the country.<ref name = "Decolonization" /> In the following years, the Church handed over 700 churches (which subsequently became mosques) and in 1976, the Church had to also hand over schools, hospitals and other social services as part of a nationalization program.{{sfn|McGee|2008|p=14}} After 1993, the assassination of foreign workers and the closure of all foreign schools meant that almost all Christian families left, including European spouses of Algerians, [[Copts|Coptic]] ''coopérants'' (Christian aid workers) and more native Algerian Christians.{{sfn|McGee|2008|p=14}} After the emigration and violence only about three thousand Catholics remained.{{sfn|McGee|2008|pp=13-14}}
===21st century=== In 2020, Catholics made up 0.01–0.02% of the country's population;<ref>[https://thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=4c&u=23r The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-28]</ref><ref name="cac"/> there were 62 priests and 116 nuns serving across 30 parishes.
In 2022, the Catholic Church noted that they were able to carry out religious services and prison visits without interference from the authorities.<ref>[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/algeria US State Dept 2022 report US State Dept 2022 report]</ref>
In April 2026, [[Pope Leo XIV]] became the first pope to visit Algeria.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Diseko |first1=Lebo |last2=Njie |first2=Paul |last3=Maseko |first3=Nomsa |title=Pope Leo in Algeria at start of major Africa tour |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg0jyx4qq7o |access-date=13 April 2026 |work=www.bbc.com |publisher=BBC |date=13 April 2026}}</ref>
=== International attention ahead of the 2026 papal visit ===
The announcement of Pope Leo XIV's visit to Algeria in April 2026 — the first papal visit to the country — drew significant international attention to the situation of Algeria's Christian minority. Ahead of the visit, advocacy organizations brought the issue before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
On March 18, 2026, the [[European Centre for Law and Justice]], in collaboration with [[Jubilee Campaign]] and [[Christian Solidarity International]], organized a side event conference at the Council's 61st session dedicated to the treatment of Christians in Algeria. The event heard testimony from Pastor Youssef Ourahmane, vice president of the Protestant Church of Algeria, whose denomination had seen 47 of its churches closed by the state, as well as from Djamila Marie Djelloul, a convert from Islam, and Ali Ait Djoudi, president of [[Riposte Internationale]]. Nicolas Bay, a member of the European Parliament, and Charlotte Touati, a historian and affiliated researcher at the University of Lausanne, also addressed the session.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gonsalves |first=Bryan Lawrence |title=Before Pope Leo lands in Algeria, advocates want the world to know what Christians face there |url=https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/africa/before-pope-leo-lands-in-algeria-advocates-want-the-world-to-know-what-christians-face-there |website=EWTN News |date=2026-03-31 |access-date=2026-04-27}}</ref>
The conference highlighted several areas of concern. Algeria's 2020 constitution removed any explicit reference to freedom of conscience, with only the country's Islamic identity given constitutional recognition. A 2006 ordinance governing non-Muslim worship and a 2012 law on religious associations have made the legal opening of new churches practically impossible, with authorities closing places of worship on administrative or technical grounds. The distribution of Bibles is subject to administrative control, and proselytism carries criminal penalties.<ref name="omnesmag_algeria-religious-situation">{{cite web |last=Gonsalves |first=Bryan Lawrence |title=Algeria's complicated religious situation |url=https://www.omnesmag.com/en/news/algeria-religious-situation/ |website=Omnes Magazine |date=2026-04-08 |access-date=2026-04-27}}</ref> The ECLJ simultaneously published a dedicated report on the treatment of Christians in Algeria.
Constance Avenel, Advocacy Officer for Freedom of Religion at the ECLJ, noted that the closure of Caritas Algeria in October 2022 — which had served all Algerians regardless of faith — extended the pattern of restriction to Catholic humanitarian work. She described Christian communities as operating in a "precarious legal grey area," subject to self-censorship and social pressure, particularly with regard to converts from Islam.<ref name="omnesmag_algeria-religious-situation"/>
Joel Veldkamp, advocacy director of [[Christian Solidarity International]], told EWTN News that Algeria's strategic position — as a major energy supplier for Europe, a counterterrorism partner for the United States, and a significant arms buyer from Russia — had shielded it from sustained international pressure on religious freedom. He nonetheless argued that the scale of the Christian community was so small that its suppression could not plausibly be justified on security grounds.<ref name="ewtnnews_before-pope-leo-lands-in-algeria">{{cite web |last=Gonsalves |first=Bryan Lawrence |title=Before Pope Leo lands in Algeria, advocates want the world to know what Christians face there |url=https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/africa/before-pope-leo-lands-in-algeria-advocates-want-the-world-to-know-what-christians-face-there |website=EWTN News |date=2026-03-31 |access-date=2026-04-27}}</ref>
Recommendations from the UN conference called on Algeria to restore freedom of conscience to its constitution, permit the legal functioning of Protestant churches, revise criminal provisions on proselytism, allow Caritas to resume operations, and engage with a visit from the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.<ref name="ewtnnews_before-pope-leo-lands-in-algeria"/>
Pope Leo XIV visited Algeria from April 13 to 15, 2026. The visit also coincided with the 30th anniversary of the martyrdom of the monks of Tibhirine.
== Jurisdictions == [[File:Diocese eveches, Algérie.jpg|right|240px|thumb|Map of Algerian dioceses]] The country is divided into four [[Latin Church|Latin]] [[dioceses]], including one archdiocese with two suffragan dioceses and one exempt diocese (i.e., immediately subject to the Holy See).
===Ecclesiastical province of Alger=== * [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alger|Metropolitan Archdiocese of Alger]] **[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Constantine|Diocese of Constantine]] **[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Oran|Diocese of Oran]]
===Exempt diocese=== * [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Laghouat|Diocese of Laghouat]] (''Immediately subject to the Holy See'')
During [[French rule in Algeria|French colonial rule]], the Catholic population of Algeria peaked at over one million, but most of these left following Algeria's independence in 1962. There were about 45,000 Catholics residing in the country in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book | last=Deeb | first=Mary-Jane | author-link=Mary-Jane Deeb | editor-last=Metz |editor-first=Helen Chapin | editor-link=Helen Chapin Metz | title=Algeria: A Country Study | isbn=0-8444-083 1-X | page=111 | url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/frd/frdcstdy/al/algeriacountryst00metz_0/algeriacountryst00metz_0.pdf | access-date=20 February 2023 | language=English | chapter=The Society and Its Environment | date=1982 | publisher=Foreign Area Studies, the American University }}</ref>
== See also == {{portal|Catholicism}} * [[List of Catholic dioceses in Algeria]], including former jurisdictions, notably many titular sees * [[List of Catholic churches in Algeria]] * [[List of Saints from Africa]] * [[List of Christian saints of Algeria]] * [[Religion in Algeria]] * [[Christianity in Algeria]]
== References == {{reflist}}
==Sources and external links== *{{cite book |last1=Craughwell |first1=Thomas J. |title=How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World |date=2008 |publisher=Fair Winds Press |isbn=978-1-61673-432-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m-LaiejJocYC |access-date=16 September 2024 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Elliott |first1=Simon |title=Vandal Heaven: Reinterpreting Post-Roman North Africa |date=31 March 2024 |publisher=Casemate |isbn=978-1-63624-288-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=643xEAAAQBAJ |access-date=16 September 2024 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Fontaine |first1=Darcie |title=Decolonizing Christianity: Religion and the End of Empire in France and Algeria |date=20 June 2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-11817-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=059ODAAAQBAJ |access-date=11 September 2024 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Foster |first1=Elizabeth A. |title=African Catholic: Decolonization and the Transformation of the Church |date=4 March 2019 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-23944-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jJWEDwAAQBAJ |access-date=11 September 2024 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Kaegi |first1=Walter E. |title=Muslim Expansion and Byzantine Collapse in North Africa |date=4 November 2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-19677-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zexq5Hl42mQC |access-date=16 September 2024 |language=en}} *{{cite journal |title=The Papacy and Christian Mercenaries of Thirteenth-Century North Africa |first=Michael |last=Lower |journal=Speculum |volume=89| issue = 3 JULY |year=2014 |pages=601–631 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |doi=10.1017/S0038713414000761 |s2cid=154773840 }} *{{cite book |last1=McGee |first1=Martin |title=Christian Martyrs for a Muslim People |date=2008 |publisher=Paulist Press |isbn=978-0-8091-4539-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RhulI5r9_R4C |access-date=11 September 2024 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Roggema |first1=Barbara |last2=Thomas |first2=David Richard |last3=Monferrer Sala |first3=Juan Pedro |title=Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History. Volume 3 (1050-1200) |date=21 March 2011 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-19515-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6AXXFamR5oAC |access-date=16 September 2024 |language=en}} * [https://eglise-catholique-algerie.org/ Official Website of the Catholic Church in Algeria] * [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/dz.html Statistics relating to the Catholic Church in Algeria] * [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/country/DZ.htm GCatholic.org].
{{Algeria topics}} {{Africa in topic|Catholic Church in|groupstyle=background-color:gold|titlestyle=background-color:gold}}
[[Category:Catholic Church in Algeria| ]] [[Category:Catholic Church in Africa]]