Imposition of Roman Catholicism in Ethiopia
- When
- 1626–1632
- Where
- Ethiopia
- Episodes
- 2
In 1626, Emperor Susenyos I and Patriarch Afonso Mendes declared Roman Catholicism the state religion of Ethiopia, acknowledging the primacy of the Roman See. This edict, issued after Mendes' arrival in 1625, triggered immediate rebellion and civil war, leading to the policy's rescission in 1632.
Episodes
- Declaration of Catholicism
Susenyos and Mendes publicly acknowledge Roman primacy and make Catholicism the state religion.
- Rescission of Edict
Susenyos rescinds the edict, allowing voluntary Catholic faith but ending forced conversion.
Background and detail
Declaration of State Religion. On 11 February 1626, Susenyos and Mendes held a public ceremony acknowledging the primacy of the Roman See. They formally made Catholicism the state religion, condemning local Ethiopian Orthodox practices such as the Saturday Sabbath and frequent fasts. This act marked the brief period when Catholic Christianity became the official religion of the Ethiopian state.
Rescission of the Edict. After years of civil war and devastation, Susenyos rescinded his edict on 14 June 1632. He issued a formal declaration allowing those who wished to follow the Catholic faith to do so, but prohibiting any further forced conversion. This ended the brief period of Catholic state religion in Ethiopia.
People involved
- Susenyos I · Emperor of Ethiopia
- Afonso Mendes · Patriarch of Ethiopia
Sources
- Afonso Mendes Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-05
- Susenyos I Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-11
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.