Black Catholic History – The Untold Story
There were 3 Popes known to be black:
Pope St. Victor -
Elected in
189 AD. He was deacon when he became Pope, a rarity then
and now. He established a set date for the celebration of
Easter yearly. He died a martyr for the faith in 199.
Pope St. Militiades - Reigned as Pope from
311 - 314. He signed the emperor Constantine’s
famous Edict of Milan in 313, ending the persecutions,
and making Christianity the established religion of the
empire. He was considered an excellent Pope, "a son
of peace and father of Christians" according to St.
Augustine.
Pope St. Gelasius - Reigned from 492 -496. Born in
Rome, he was renowned for his holiness, kindness and
scholarship. He saved Rome from famine, composed a book
of hymns for church use, was renowned for his concern for
the poor and clarified church teaching on the Eucharist.
Anthony of Egypt - Founder of Monasticism
A black man born in 251 of wealthy parents in Egypt, he inherited their wealth when his parents died. But his desire to imitate the poverty of Jesus led Anthony to sell all he had, withdraw from civilization, and live a life devoted to prayer, fasting and piety. He was the first to withdraw in such a way, and gradually became famed for his spiritual wisdom and battles with the devil. Other people came to join him eventually, and Anthony spent time training them in the monastic life. He was a renowned preacher and teacher, and is considered today the father of monasticism and religious life. Few Christians have had the impact of the black monk Anthony of Egypt. Click here for further information.
Black Christianity has a long history
The New Testament of the Bible speaks of
a "Simon from Cyrene [in Africa]" carrying the
cross of Jesus (Luke 23:26). Acts 8 refers to a man from
Ethiopia who was converted to Jesus at the preaching of
the Apostle Phillip. From these Biblical events (and
later missionary preaching), the Good News of Jesus
spread quickly to Africa.
Most people are unaware that there was a vibrant black Christianity and church-life existing in North Africa long before St. Patrick was even born (~389). In the 2nd - 3rd centuries, Ethiopia became a Christian country, as did Nubia south of Egypt; traces of their famed liturgy still exist today. These churches gave birth to numerous well-known black Christians, many of whom were martyred for their beliefs. Examples are Moses the Black, Cyril of Alexandria, Perpetus, Benedict the Black, Felicity, John of Egypt and likely even the famous St. Augustine and his mother St. Monica.
The black Christian presence in Africa would later become divided over doctrinal issues, and then all but disappear when Islam swept thru Africa in the 7th and 8th centuries. However, remnants of black African Christianity continued on, as evidence from the slave trade days of the middle ages later revealed. For further information, read Cyprian Davis’ book History of Black Catholics in the United States (Crossroads 1992).