Katherine Heathwood
BBC World Services
Getty Images
Pope Victor I (L), Pope Jerasius I, and Pope Militia (R) are all considered to be of North African descent.
Now primarily Muslim North Africa was once a Christian centre and produced the Catholic pope who left a mark on the church to this day.
Their nipples were during the Roman Empire, which spread across the coasts of modern-day Tunisia, northeastern Algeria, and western Libya.
“North Africa was the biblical belt of ancient Christianity,” says Professor Christopher Belitt, a historian at Keene University in the United States.
Many Catholics in Africa hope that the Pope will return to the continent for the first time in over a 500-year period, as Pope Francis’ successor has been chosen.
Here we look at the previous three African Popes and how they won Christians to celebrate Easter Sunday and St. Valentine’s Day.
All three are recognized as saints in the church.
Victor I (189-199)
Getty Images
Pope Victor, considered to be of Berber’s origin, was in charge of the Catholic Church when Christians were occasionally persecuted by Roman officials for their refusal to worship the Roman gods.
He is probably best known for ensuring that Christians celebrate Easter on Sundays.
In the second century, some Christian groups in the Asian state of Rome (modern Turkey) celebrated Easter on the same day that Jews celebrated Passover.
However, Christians in the western Empire believed that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, so Easter should always be celebrated that day.
The debate at the time of the resurrection made it a very controversial issue.
The “Easter Controversy” represented a greater conflict between the East and West and whether Christians should follow Jewish practices.
Victor settled the impasse by summoning the first Romans, a gathering of church leaders.
He did this by threatening to excommunicate the bishop from the church, who refused to follow his wishes.
“He was a pretty strong voice for everyone being literally on the same page,” Professor Berit told the BBC.
This was an impressive feat, as the historian stated, “when Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire, he was a bishop of Rome.”
Another important part of Victor I’s legacy was introducing Latin as a common language for the Catholic Church. Previously, ancient Greek was the main language of Catholic liturgy and the official communication of the church.
King Victor I himself wrote – and spoke in Latin, which was widely spoken in North Africa.
Miltiades (AD311-314)
Getty Images
Pope Miltiades is thought to have been born in Africa.
During his reign, Christianity increased acceptance from successive Roman emperors, and eventually became the official religion of the empire.
Before this, Christian persecution was widespread at various points in the history of the empire.
However, Professor Belitt pointed out that the militia were not responsible for this change, saying that the Pope was not a great negotiator, but a “receiver of Roman mercy.”
Miltiades was given a palace by the Roman Emperor Constantine and became the first Pope to have an official residence.
He was also given permission from Constantine to build the Lateran Cathedral, now the oldest public church in Rome.
While modern popes live and work in the Vatican, Lateran churches are sometimes called “the mother of all churches” in Catholicism.
Gelasius I (AD492-496)
Getty Images
King Gerasius I is only one of three African teachers whom historians believe were not born in Africa.
“There’s a mention that he was… Roman born. So I don’t know if he’s him or not. [ever] He lived in North Africa and it is clear that he was a descent in North Africa,” explained Professor Beritt.
According to Professor Beritt, he was the most important of the three African church leaders.
Gerasius I is widely recognized as the first pope formally known as the “Pastor of Christ.” This term refers to the role of the Pope as a representative of Christ on Earth.
He also developed the doctrine of two swords. This emphasized the separate equal powers of the Church and the State.
gelasius I made a critical distinction that both powers were given to the Church by God.
“Later, in the Middle Ages, the Pope sometimes tried to refuse the choice of emperors or kings because they said God gave them that power,” Professor Belitt said.
Zerasius I also remember that it was his response to the division of Acacia – the division between the Eastern and West Christian Churches from 484 to 519.
During this period, Gerasius I asserted the superiority of Romans and the Holy See in the East and West of the Church as a whole.
Gelasius is also responsible for the popular celebrations that are marked annually. St Valentine’s Day was established on February 14th, 496, commemorating Christian Martil St Valentine’s Day.
Some explanations say Valentine was a priest who continued her secret wedding when it was banned by Emperor Claudius II.
Historians believe Valentine’s Day is rooted in the Rome’s Lupecaria, a festival of love and fertility, and was Gerasius I’s move to Christianize pagan traditions.
What did the African Pope look like?
Getty Images
After Zerasius I, it is not believed that other Popes came from the Roman African province
Professor Belitt says there is no way to know exactly what the three popes look like.
“We need to remember that the Roman Empire, and in fact the Middle Ages, didn’t think about race as we’ve been thinking these days. It had nothing to do with skin color,” he told the BBC.
“The people of the Roman Empire did not deal with race, they did with ethnicity.”
Professor Filomena Mwaura, an academic at Kenyatta University in Kenya, said that Roman Africa is very multicultural and that there are local Berbers and ponic groups, freed slaves and people from Rome.
“The North African community is very complicated and it was a trade route for many people who were involved in previous ancient trade,” she explained.
Rather than identifying with a particular ethnic group, “most people who belonged to the region within the Roman Empire saw themselves as Rome,” Professor Mwaura added.
Why was there no African pope?
None of the 217 Popes since Gelasius I are believed to have come from Africa.
“The churches in North Africa were weakened by so many troops, including the collapse of the Roman Empire and the invasion of Muslims. [into North Africa] In the 7th century, Professor Mwaura said:
However, some experts argue that the prevalence of Islam in North Africa does not explain the absence of popes from across the continent for over 1,500 years.
Professor Beritt said the process of electing a new pope has become “Italian monopoly” over the years.
However, he said there will be a strong opportunity for popes from Asia and Africa in the near future, as Catholics in the Southern Hemisphere outweigh the people of the North.
In fact, Catholicism is expanding more rapidly than anywhere else in today’s sub-Saharan Africa.
The latest figures show that there were 281 million Catholics in Africa in 2023. This accounts for 20% of global congregations.
Three Africans are taking part in the race to take over Pope Francis – Fridrin Ambongo Bezun of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peter Kodowo Appia Turkson of Ghana, and Robert Sarah of Guinea.
However, Professor Mwaura argued that “Although Christianity is very strong in Africa, the church’s power was still north and had resources.”
“Maybe there will be a time when there is a chance that there will be an African pope because it continues to become so strong within the continent and supports itself,” she said.
