Morocco’s Christian Heritage: A Centuries-Old Tradition Protected by Modern Monarchs

In a publication, the Catholic information site Aleteia highlights "Morocco’s rich Christian heritage, dating back to Roman antiquity," which "has become a pillar of Moroccan diplomacy with the Vatican." The ancient territory that now encompasses modern Morocco has Christian remains dating back nearly two millennia, according to the article’s author. Volubilis, once the bustling capital of Roman Mauretania Tingitana, housed the first Christian communities founded by "merchants, soldiers, and officials of the Roman Empire," geopolitical analyst and historian Jean-Baptiste Noé told the same media. He assures: "The Moroccan government has never persecuted Christians."

Other evidence of Christianity’s acceptance: the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Tangier, built in 1961, five years after Morocco’s independence (1956). Before it, there was the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Rabat, inaugurated in 1921. For the geopolitical analyst, these buildings are "proof of the religious tolerance of the kingdom where the king is nevertheless the Commander of the Faithful."

Morocco is thus different from many Muslim-majority states where Catholic worship faces hostility or obstacles. Since 1976, the kingdom and the Vatican have maintained good relations. These relations have strengthened over time. In April 1980, King Hassan II visited the Holy See where he met the newly installed pope. It was the first visit of a Muslim head of state to the Vatican. Five years later, Pope John Paul II arrived in Casablanca. During his visit, the pontiff addressed more than 100,000 young Moroccan Muslims at the city stadium after touring the streets alongside Hassan II.

The rise to power of Islamists will change nothing. "Even though Morocco experienced an Islamist electoral victory in the 2010s, it has always managed to keep at bay the upheavals and tensions that other countries, such as Egypt or neighboring Algeria, are experiencing," he said. Relations between Rabat and the Vatican have further strengthened. In March 2019, Pope Francis visited Morocco. During this visit, he met with King Mohammed VI and communed with Catholic faithful. A few months after his visit, the pontiff consecrated the Archbishop of Rabat, Cristobal Romero, as cardinal. For the geopolitical analyst, this unprecedented distinction is "a sign that dialogue with the Muslim world is one of the major points of the pontificate."