Christianity in Libya
Christianity is a minority religion in
Characteristics
The largest Christian group in Libya is the
There are relatively peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims in Libya. However, there are restrictions for Christian religious activity. It is prohibited to proselytize Muslims, thus a non-Muslim man must convert to Islam if he wants to marry a Muslim woman. Religious literature is restricted.[3]
In spite of opposition to Christianity, a 2015 estimates some 1,500 Christian believers from a Muslim background residing in the country.[5]
Christian denominations
Coptic Orthodox Church
In 2022, more than half of Libya Christians were Copts.[6][1]
Historically speaking,
The Coptic congregations in several countries were under the ancient Eparchy of the
In 1971
This was one among a chain of many restructuring of several eparchies by
They are currently three Coptic Orthodox Churches in Libya: one in
Roman Catholic Church
In 2022, there were approximately, 3,500 Roman Catholics in the country. This is down from previous years.[11]
The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Our Lady of the Angels) in the Old City - Medina of Tripoli was founded in 1645 and, with the permission of the Sultan of
Roman Catholic Vicariates Apostolic exist in Benghazi, Derna and Tripoli. There is a Prefecture Apostolic in Misrata.
There are two Bishops, one in Tripoli (Bishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli - serving the Italian community in the Church of San Francisco in Dhahra).[13] and one in Benghazi (Bishop Sylvester Carmel Magro - serving the Maltese community in the Church of the Immaculate Conception).[14]
In Libya currently there are four territorial jurisdictions - three
- Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi
- Apostolic Vicariate of Derna
- Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli
- Apostolic Prefecture of Misrata
Church Protestant
There is an Anglican congregation in Tripoli, composed mainly of African migrant workers, which belongs to the Egyptian Anglican diocese. The Anglican bishop of Libya is based in Cairo.same there is a pastor in Sabha. There are
- Indian Prayer Fellowship, Tripoli
- Global Faith Fellowship, Misrata
Persecution
In February 2014, east of Benghazi, seven Coptic Christians were dragged out of their houses in the middle of the night and shot dead execution-style by
On January 12, 2015, twenty-one Coptic Christians were abducted by forces of ISIL.[16] On February 15, 2015, those 21 Christians were executed by ISIL shown in a video titled "A Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the Cross." In 2023, Pope Francis announced that the men would be commemorated by the Catholic Church and listed within the Roman Martyrology.[17]
On April 19, 2015, ISIL released another video in which they executed about 30 Ethiopian Christians.[18]
In 2023, six Christian protestants converts were sentenced to death for proselytizing.[19]
In 2023, Libya was ranked as the 5th most dangerous country in the world to be a Christian.[20]
See also
| Christianity by country |
|---|
 |
 Christianity portal |
- Religion in Libya
- Catholic Church in Libya
- Protestantism in Libya
- Christianity in Africa
- Roman Catholic Church
- Roman Catholicism in Africa
- Coptic Orthodox Church
References
- ^ a b Kjeilen, Tore. "Coptic Church". LookLex Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "History of the Catholic Church in Libya". Archived from the original on 2013-12-31. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ a b c "Libya".
- ^ ISBN 0-7567-1229-7.
- ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane Alexander (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". IJRR. 11 (10): 1–19. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ The Association of Religion Data Archive website, Retrieved 2023-07-05
- ^ "Britannica".
- ^ "Coptic.net".
- ^ History of the Coptic Church, by Father Menassa Youhanna
- ^ Coptic Orthodox Church Listings for Libya (P. 136) Archived July 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ US State Dept 2022 report
- ^ Photos of Libyan catholic churches (in Italian) Archived January 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Islam and Christianity. The Unknown Side of Libya-Interview with Msgr. Giovanni Martinelli, Bishop of Tripoli Diocese Archived 2007-06-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Untitled Document". www.ofm.org.mt. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ Editorial, Reuters (24 February 2014). "Seven Egyptian Christians found shot execution-style on Libyan beach". Reuters.
{{cite news}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "ISIS claim abduction of 21 Christians in Libya: activists". Agence France Presse. Daily Star Lebanon. January 12, 2015.
- ^ "Pope Francis adds 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs to Catholic list of saints - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
- ^ IS releases new 'killing' video of Ethiopian Christians. 20 April 2015. BBC. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ Salih, Zeinab Mohammed (2023-05-03). "Six Libyans face death penalty for converting to Christianity". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ Open Doors website, Retrieved 2023-07-05
External links
- Coptic History: Mission in the Church
- Coptic Church Listings for the Diaspora (P. 119)
- http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/dly2.html
- United States Department of State
- http://www.ead.de/gebet/30tage/kalender.php?ausgabe=2006&tag=18 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110721155439/http://www.globalfaithfellowship.in/