{{short description, None The Catholic Church in Morocco, Mauritania and Western Sahara (which is occupied and claimed by Morocco; all three share a Franco-Spanish colonial past) is composed only of a Latin hierarchy (no Eastern Catholic), without a single ecclesiastical province, as all are exempt, i.e. directly dependent on the Holy See, comprising: * two non-metropolitan archbishoprics, both in Morocco; * a bishopric for all Mauritania; and * an apostolic prefecture for all Western Sahara. Neither country has its own episcopal conference either, but * Morocco and Western Sahara are covered by the Regional

Episcopal Conference of North Africa The Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa (CERNA) (French language, French: ''Conférence Episcopale Régionale du Nord de l'Afrique'' or ''Conférence des Evêques de la Région Nord de l’Afrique'') is the Episcopal Conference, episcopal ...

, with seat in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

(Morocco), which also includes states Algeria (Ecclesiastical Province of Alger), Libya and Tunisia (both entirely exempt), hence covering the

Great Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

(western region of the Arab world) except Mauritania. * Mauritania is covered by the

Episcopal Conference of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau The Senegal has not an episcopal conference of their own, but Senegal is part of the episcopate of the Conference of Bishops of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, and Guinea Bissau (French: Conférence des Bishop's du Sénégal, de la Mauritanie, du ...

, with seat in Dakar (Senegal). There is an Apostolic Nunciature (embassy level) to Morocco (in national capital Rabat) and an

Apostolic Delegation An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

(lower level) to Mauritania (actually vested in the Apostolic Nunciature to Senegal, in its capital Dakar) as papal diplomatic representations, none for Western Sahara.

Current (Latin) dioceses

(Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa)

Morocco

(both exempt, not Metropolitan) *

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabat The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabat ( la, Archidioecesis Rabatensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Morocco. It was erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Rabat on July 2, 1923, by Pope Pius XI, and ...

* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tanger

Mauritania

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Nouakchott, exempt, for the whole country

(Regional Episcopal Conference of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau)

Western Sahara

Apostolic Prefecture of Western Sahara The Catholic Church in Western Sahara is part of the worldwide Catholic Church (particularly the Latin Church), under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. History Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony, and the Catholic faith was int ...

, exempt, for the whole country

Defunct sees

Only Morocco has two titular bishoprics, both of the episcopal (lowest) rank, being former suffragan sees, but both were suppressed as titular sees as well. * Fez * Marocco (now Marrakech) All other defunct jurisdictions have current successor sees.

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org - Morocco

* * * Morocco Catholic dioceses Catholic dioceses Catholic dioceses