The beginnings of the Church in Libya go back to the origins of Christianity itself.  One recalls Simon of Cyrene who helped Christ carry the cross (Mk 15, 21).  On the day of Pentecost, there were in Jerusalem, some devout men coming from Libya, belonging to Cyrene (Ac 2,10). After the persecution of Jerusalem, it was some citizens from Cyprus and Cyrene who carried the Good News of Jesus to the Greeks (Ac 11,20).   According to the tradition of the Coptic Church in Egypt, St. Mark would be originally from Cyrene.  Some historians hold that in the year 40 a.C., Mark was back in Cyrene where he converted many Jews and Greeks.  Later around the year 60, he went to Alexandria where he founded several Christian communities.

Following this tradition, it is said that upon his return to Cyrene, Mark appointed Lucius of Cyrene as the first Bishop,  who suffered martyrdom in Alexandria after a popular uprising on 25th April 68 BC.

The Arab annals of Patriarch Eutichius, inform us that the Bishops of Alexandria, from St. Mark to Demetrius, his 11th successor (+ 231), were assisted by ordinary priests in administering their churches.  What is certain however is that after Lucius of Cyrene, there is no trace of bishops in that region before the first half of the third century.

In the Roman Martyrology we find the name of Theodorus, bishop of Cyrene who was martyred in 302 BC; another Theordorus together with the deacon Irenaeus and the Lectors Serapius and Ammonius, suffered martyrdom on 26th March 319 BC.  One of the most famous martyrs of the persecution of Diocletian, was St. Cyrilla, a noble girl from Cyrene.

The Church in Cyrene

The Church in Cyrene unfortunately became very famous because of the heretic Arius who came from Tolemaidis. 

Arius was still a deacon when in 317 BC. he started to preach his heresy in Alexandria of Egypt. At the Council of Nicea (325 BC.) which  defined the Divinity of Christ, three faithful followers of Arius, bishops Secundus of Tolemaidis, Theonas of Derna and Eusebius of Nicomedia, refused their allegiance to its decisions.

One of the most famous bishops of Cyrene in the V Century was Sinesius of Tolemaidis. The Bishops of Pentapolis in the region of Cyrene, were present at the Councils of Ephesus (431 BC), Chalcedon (451 BC) and Constantinople (553 BC.).

The Church in Tripolitania  While the Church in the region of Cyrene was bound to Egypt, the Church in Tripolitania, politically and ecclesiastical, leaned rather towards Carthage in Tunisia. When Agrippius, the first bishop of Carthage convened in that city, the 70 bishops of Proconsular Africa and Numidia, the churches of Tripolitania were represented. It was the first African Council recorded in history (yr 218-222).  During the reign of Emperor Settimius Severus in Rome, who came from Leptis Magna, there was sitting on the Chair of Peter Pope Victor (181-191), also from Leptis Magna in Libya, perhaps its bishop.Among the names to be remembered in this Ecclesiastical region is Tertullian, the great apologist, polemic and theologian, born in Carthage around 155-60; St.Cyprian, bishop of unity and reconcialition, born in Carthage (yr.200) and martyred on 30th August 251.

The Bishops of North Africa between the years 250-300 numbered 100 or 150.  Worthy of mention are the episcopal sees of Lebda (Leptis Magna), Oea (Tripoli) and Sabrata (Jerba).

The Church in North Africa reached its glorious climax with the appearance of St. Augustine, born in Tagaste (Souk-Ahras, Algeria) on 13th November 354.           

Augustine, was consecrated bishop of Hippo (in Algeria), where he died on 28th August 430 when the Vandals invaded the whole North African Region.  The Vandal invasion also helped spread the Arian heresy denying the divinity of Christ.

The Expansion of Islam

The rapid conquests of the arab-muslims, between the 7th and 12th centuries, gradually obliterated christianity from North Africa.  The ecclesiatical history of North Africa under the Arab domination during these centuries is obscure and so scant as to make it extremely difficult even to delineate.

Tripolitania was dependant on Tunisia under the different arab dynasties. These  had succeeded in subduing the prevalently Berber population of this region.

During the 13th century, the Republics of Genova and Venice had managed to re-establish commercial relations between old Africa and Europe.  It was to ST. FRANCIS of ASSISI and his Order that Providence assigned the apostolic presence in the North African region, since the very origins of the Order (1219).

The New Presence of the Church

Christianity never stopped existing in the North Africa. In the beginning of the XII - XIII century the Christians are no longer natives but on the contrary are foreigners mainly merchants from Pisa and Genoa and Maltese. Christianity became therefore of foreign brand to which the Church provided assistance through the missions.

In 1219 while St Francis departed to Egypt, his followers in 1224-25 went to Morocco where they were martyred. They were present although occasionally in Tunisia and from1628 permanently also in Libya to assist the Christian slaves. The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Our Lady of the Angels) in the Old City - Medina of Tripoli was foundedin1645 and, with the permission of the Sultan of Constantinople, the Church of the Immaculate Conception was founded in Benghazi in 1858. From 1641 the first Apostolic Prefecture was actually constituted with the series of Apostolic Prefects up to 1943 when the Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli was constituted and from 1927 that of Benghazi.

Apostolic Vicars OF LIBYA

In 1641, the S. Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, nominated P. Pascal COMPTE ofm, as the First Apostolic Prefect of Tripoli.  He was succeed by 52 other Apostolic Prefects up till 1913.  On February 3rd of that year, Pope Pius X nominated P. LUDOVICO ANTOMELLI ofm Apostolic Vicar of Libya (1913-19). He was succeeded by H.E. Mgr. Giacinto TONIZZA ofm (1919-27) On February 4th 1927, The Church in Libya was divided into two ecclesiastical jurisdictions: The Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli and that of Benghazi.

Apostolic Vicars of TRIPOLI

• H.E. Mgr. Giacinto TONIZZA  OFM                 1927-36
• H.E. Mgr. Vittorino FACCHINETTI  OFM          1936-50
• H.E. Mgr. Bonifacio BERTOLI  OFM                1951-67
• H.E. Mgr. Attilio PREVITALI  OFM                    1969-85
• H.E. Mgr. Giovanni MARTINELLI  OFM            1985-

Apostolic Vicars of BENGHAZI

• H.E. Mgr. Bernardino BIGI  OFM              1927-31
• H.E. Mgr. Candido MORO  OFM               1931-51
• H.E. Mgr. Aurelio GHIGLIONE  OFM         1951-64
• H.E. Mgr. Giustino PASTORINO  OFM      1965-97
• H.E. Mgr. Sylvester MAGRO  OFM           1997-

In 1939, the Holy See divided the Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi into two Sees: BENGHAZI and DERNA. The Apostolic Vicariate of Derna was entrusted to:

• H.E. Mgr. Giovanni LUCATO SDB 1939-46.

Since 1951, the region of Derna, has been reverted to the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi . On 20th February 1948, the Holy See erected MISURATA as Apostolic PREFECTURE.

Apostolic Prefects of MISURATA

On 20th February 1948, the Holy See erected  MISURATA  as Apostolic  PREFECTURE.

• Mgr. Bonifacio BERTOLI OFM           1948-51
• Mgr. Illuminato COLOMBO OFM        1951-57
• Mgr. Attilio PREVITALI OFM              1958-69

From the 1st September 1969:
the El Fatah Revolution

With the Revolution of the '69and the expulsion of the Italians in 1970 the new identity of the Church turned to be more Afro-Asiatic.
The two important facts that have characterized this period in the dialogue between Christians and Muslims were:-

The Congress about the Islamic-Christian Dialogue held in Tripoli on the 2nd to the 5th of February 1976. This congress was to testify to the world that the closing of the churches during the time of the Italian expulsion (1970) has not been a gesture against the Church but against the Italian colonialism to which the Church was somehow associated.

The Diplomatic Relationships established between the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Holy See on the 10th March 1997. This gesture was very much appreciated by the Libyan authorities because it happened during the time of the embargo imposed by the United States of America because of the Lockerby disaster. The Holy See with these relationships has showed the world that conflicts must be resolved with dialogue and not with embargos.
    
Other events during this particular period of dialogue were seminars organized by the Al Daawa Al Islamiya about the reciprocal knowledge, the visit of H.B. Patriarch Bartholomew II of Constantinople on the invitation to the Libyan authorities and the prize given to the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch, Amba Shenuda Patriarch of Alexandria given by the Gaddafi Prize Association for Peace and Promotion of Human Rights.

On the 29th December 2006, the different churches of the Christian Community  in Tripoli headed by the Catholic Bishop of Tripoli, Mgr Giovanni Martinelli ofm were invited for an encounter with the Leader of the Great al Fatah Revolution, Col Muammar El Ghaddafi, to exchange greetings on the occasion of  Aid al Adha and the feasts of Christmas and New Year which were celebrated in that same week.  

9^th March 2007: Re opening of the first Church in the Old City of Tripoli. The Libyan authority gave the premises of Santa Maria degl’Angeli (Our lady of the Angels) church to the Anglican community in Tripoli to be used once again as a place of worship.  

24 October 2008: Pastoral visit of Teodoro II, Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria and all Africa to the Greek Orthodox Community in Libya. He also paid a visit to our church and met Bishop Martinelli.

28-30 January 2009:  First visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Douglas Williams to Libya and to the Anglican Church.   

17th February 2011 - Uprising in Libya  supported by the National Transitional Council with Dr Mustafa Abdel Jalil as Chairman.

23rd October 2011: Declaration of the full Liberation of Libya in Benghazi by the NTC who announced the new cabinet headed by Dr Abdulrahim Al Keeb as Prime Minister on November 23rd, 2011.