Church at Dakhla, Morocco - Western Sahara

The Catholic Church in Western Sahara is part of the worldwide

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(particularly the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

), under the spiritual leadership of the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

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History

Western Sahara is a former

Spanish colony The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predece ...

, and the Catholic faith was introduced via Spanish

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

and prior

Portuguese exploration Portuguese maritime exploration resulted in the numerous territories and maritime routes recorded by the Portuguese as a result of their intensive maritime journeys during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of Eu ...

. Prior to Spain's abandoning the country in 1975, there were over 20,000 Spanish Catholics, who formed roughly 32% of the total population before the Moroccan occupation.

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

is one of the most religiously homogeneous nations in the world.

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estimates put the indigenous population to be entirely Muslim. The Christian community is largely composed of around 260

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...

out of a resident population of over 587,000. There are no dioceses in the country, with the entire country forming a single apostolic prefecture, originally administered by the Apostolic Prefecture of Spanish Sahara and Ifni which was founded on July 5, 1954. It was later renamed as the Apostolic Prefecture of Spanish Sahara on May 2, 1970, and subsequently as the Apostolic Prefecture of Western Sahara on May 2, 1976. There are 2 parishes, 2 religious priests and 2 lay religious brothers as of 2014. Only three Apostolic Prefects have overseen the territory since 1954:

Félix Erviti Barcelona Félix Erviti Barcelona (29 July 1910 – 24 November 2000) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest, in the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was ordained as priest on February 19, 1933. Religious life He was appointed by Pope Pius XII as the firs ...

, from July 19, 1954, until his retirement on July 6, 1994,

Acacio Valbuena Rodríguez Fr. Acacio Valbuena Rodríguez (8 May 1922 – 4 May 2011) was the Roman Catholic Prefect for Western Sahara. He was ordained as priest in the Oblates of Mary Immaculate on 17 March 1945, and on July 10, 1994, John Paul II installed him in th ...

from July 10, 1994, until his retirement in 2009, and the Apostolic Prefect-elect,

Mario León Dorado Fr. Mario León Dorado is a Spanish Roman Catholic priest, in the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He is currently the Apostolic prefect of Western Sahara. Early life Mario León Dorado was born in Madrid, Spain on 17 March 1974. As he grew up, he deci ...

OMI is a hereditary noble title (''kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun period. ...

, appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

on June 24, 2013, who had formerly been Chief of the Apostolic Prefecture.

Apostolic Prefectures

* Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of West Sahara

Cathedrals

* Spanish Cathedral in El-Aaiún, Western Sahara (Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of West Sahara) * Spanish cathedral in Dakhla . Western Sahar

References

External links

Western Sahara on Catholic-Hierarchy.org
{{Africa in topic, Catholic Church in, groupstyle=background-color:gold, titlestyle=background-color:gold Catholic Church in Western Sahara,