Christianity in Sudan

Christianity reached the area of present-day northern Sudan, then called Nubia, by the first century after Christ.

By tradition it was St. Matthew the Apostle was said to have visited the region and been active in the establishment of the church south of Aswan.

[2] It greatly developed under the influence of the bishops of Alexandria and missionaries form the Eastern Roman Empire.

[4] The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527 to 565) helped to make Nubia a stronghold of Christianity during the Middle Ages by securing the region with strategic alliances.

British imperial authorities somewhat arbitrarily limited missionary activity to the multi-ethnic southern region.

[7] The Church of England and other parts of the Anglican Communion continued to send missionaries and other assistance after the country became independent in 1956, although that also precipitated decades of civil war and persecutions as discussed below.

[9][10] The last census to mention the religion of southerners dates back to 1956 where a majority were classified as following traditional beliefs or were Christian while 18% were Muslim.

[citation needed] The Anglicans through the Church Missionary Society had their base in Omdurman, while the Presbyterians began in Khartoum but developed ministry both in the north and in the south.

On the final day of his pilgrimage to the country, the pontiff delivered a powerful message of peace and reconciliation, calling on the people of South Sudan to lay down their weapons of hatred.

The visit was well received by the largely Christian population, who hoped for change in a country struggling with conflict and poverty.