Early Christianity Christianity was introduced to the region in the 2nd century AD, and gained converts in the towns and among slaves as well as among Berber farmers. By the end of the 4th century, the Romanized areas had been Christianized, and inroads had been made among the Berber tribes, who sometimes converted en masse.
Schismatic and
heretical movements also developed, usually as forms of political protest. The area had a substantial Jewish population as well. Since the
Tetrarchy (Emperor
Diocletian's reform of governmental structures in 296),
Mauretania Tingitana became part of the
Diocese 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. According to tradition, the
martyrdom of
St. Marcellus took place on 28 July 298 at
Tingis (
Tangier) during the reign of Diocletian. 's 18th-century
Augustine arguing with Donatists The
Diocletianic Persecution resulted in the so-called heresy of
Donatism, which caused a
schism in the region. Named after the Berber Christian bishop
Donatus Magnus, Donatism flourished during the fourth and fifth centuries.
Muslim conquest Archaeological and scholarly research has shown that Christianity existed after the Muslim conquests. The Catholic Church gradually declined along with local Latin dialect. Another view however that exists is that Christianity in North Africa effectively ended soon after the conquest of North Africa by the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate between AD 647–709. The treatment and
persecution of
Christians under
Almohad rule was a drastic change as well. Many Christians were killed, forced to convert, or forced to flee. A letter from the 14th century shows that there were still four bishoprics left in North Africa, admittedly a sharp decline from the over four hundred bishoprics in existence at the time of the Arab conquest. The Almohad
Abd al-Mu'min forced the Christians and Jews of Tunis and Maghrib to convert in 1159.
Berber Christians continued to live in the Maghrib until the early 15th century, and "[i]n the first quarter of the fifteenth century, we even read that the native Christians of Tunis, though much assimilated, extended their church, perhaps because the last of the persecuted Christians from all over the Maghreb had gathered there." Another group of Christians who came to North Africa after being deported from Islamic Spain were called the
Mozarabs. They were recognised as forming the Moroccan Church by Pope
Innocent IV. Another phase of Christianity in Maghreb began with the arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th century. After the end of
Reconquista, the Christian Portuguese and Spanish captured many ports in North Africa. In June 1225, Pope Honorius III issued the bull
Vineae Domini custodes, which permitted two friars of the
Dominican Order, named Dominic and Martin, to establish a mission in Morocco and look after the affairs of Christians there. The
Bishop of Morocco, Lope Fernandez de Ain, was made the head of the Church of Africa, the only church officially allowed to preach in the continent, on 19 December 1246 by Pope
Innocent IV. Innocent IV asked the emirs of Tunis, Ceuta and
Bugia to permit Lope and Franciscian friars to look after the Christians in those regions. He thanked Caliph al-Sa'id for granting protection to the Christians and requested to allow them to create fortresses along the shores, but the Caliph rejected that request. The bishopric of Marrakesh continued to exist until the late 16th century and was borne by the
suffragans of Seville.
Juan de Prado had attempted to re-establish the mission but was killed in 1631. Nevertheless, in 1637 the
Franciscan mission was continued and officially allowed to take care of Christian captives and local Christians. Franciscan monasteries continued to exist in Meknes until the 18th century.
European influence (c. 1912–1956) During the era of the Spanish protectorate and the French protectorate over Morocco, the conditions of the Catholic Church have flourished, and Catholic churches,
schools, and
hospitals were built throughout the country, and until 1961,
Sunday mass festivities were broadcast on radio and television networks. Prior to independence, Morocco was home to half a million
European Christian settlers. During the
French protectorate in Morocco,
European Christians formed almost half the population of the city of
Casablanca. Prior to independence, the numbers of the Catholics in
French Morocco reached about 360,000 or about 4.1% of the population, Since independence in 1956, the European population has decreased substantially, and many Catholics left to France or Spain. In the years leading up to the
First World War,
European Christians formed almost a quarter the population of
Tangier. In 1950, Catholics in
Spanish protectorate in Morocco and
Tangier constitute 14.5% of the population, and the Spanish Morocco was home to 113,000 Catholic settlers. although estimates of Christians residing in the country at any particular time range up to 40,000. Approximately 3,000 foreign residents belong to the Russian and
Greek Orthodox churches. Most Christians reside in the
Casablanca,
Tangier,
Marrakesh, and
Rabat urban areas. The majority of Christians in Morocco are foreigners, although
Voice of the Martyrs reports there is a growing number of native
Moroccans (45,000) converting to Christianity, especially in the rural areas. Many of the converts are baptized secretly in Morocco's churches. According to
2021 Report on International Religious Freedom; the number of Moroccan Christian citizens reached approximately 31,500, while the
Moroccan Association for Human Rights estimates there are approximately 25,000 Moroccan Christian citizens. Since 1960 a growing number of Moroccan Muslims are converting to Christianity. ==Denominations==