Now, North Africa is mainly Muslims, once the heart of Christianity, produced the Catholic Popes, who left their mark on the church.

Their papaya was in the days of the Roman Empire, which spread across modern Tunisia, northeastern Algeria and western Libyan coast.

Professor Christopher Bellitto, a historian at Keane University in the United States, said: "North Africa is the biblical belt of ancient Christianity."

Many Catholics in Africa hope that as the successor of Pope Francis, the Pope will return to the mainland for the first time in more than 1,500 years.

Here we take a look at the three former African popes - and how they made Christians celebrate Easter Sunday and Holy Valentine's Day.

All three are considered saints in the church.

Pope Victor I was considered the origin of Berber when Christians were sometimes persecuted by Roman officials for refusing to worship the Roman god.

He may be known for ensuring Christians celebrate Easter on Sunday.

In the 2nd century, some Christian groups from the province of Rome (modern Türkiye) celebrate Easter on the same day the Jews celebrate Passover, which may be on different days of the week.

However, Christians in the western Empire believed that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday and should always celebrate Easter that day.

The debate about the resurrection took place makes it an extremely controversial issue.

The “Easter Controversy” symbolizes a greater conflict between the East and the West and whether Christians should follow the Jewish practices.

Victor I called the first Roman bishops' meeting - the meeting of church leaders - to resolve the deadlock.

He threatened to do this from the church that he refused to keep his wishes.

Professor Belito told the BBC: “He is a pretty powerful voice that keeps everyone on the same page.”

This is an impressive feat, the historian said, because “when Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire, he was the bishop of Rome.”

Another important part of Victor I's heritage is the use of Latin as the common language of the Catholic Church. Previously, ancient Greek was the main language of Catholic liturgy and was also an official communication of the church.

Victor I himself wrote in the widely used Latin in North Africa - Latin.

Pope Miltiades is believed to be born in Africa.

During his reign, Christianity was subjected to a growing number of successive Roman emperors, eventually becoming the official religion of the empire.

Prior to this, persecution of Christians was widely present at different moments in the history of the empire.

However, Professor Belito pointed out that the militia took no responsibility for this change, calling the pope a "Roman merciful recipient" rather than becoming a great negotiator.

The Roman emperor Constantine provided a palace for Miltiades, becoming the first pope to have a formal residence.

Constantine also allowed him to establish the Cathedral of Reyran, the oldest public church in Rome.

When the modern pope lived and worked in the Vatican, sometimes in Catholicism the later church was called "the mother of all churches."

Gelasius I was the only one of the three African popes born in Africa who historians believed were not the only one.

Professor Belito explained: "There was one mention that he was...Roman born. So we don't know if he (has ever) lived in North Africa, but it's obvious that he is a descendant of North Africa."

Professor Belito said he was the most important of the three African church leaders.

Gelasius I was widely regarded as the first pope formally known as the "Pastor of Christ", a term denoting the role of the pope as the representative of Christ on earth.

He also developed the doctrine of these two swords, which emphasized the separate but equal power of the church and the state.

Gelasius I made a critical distinction that God gave the church, who then granted earthly power to the state, making the church eventually rise.

Professor Belito said: "Later, in the Middle Ages, the pope sometimes tried to reject the choice of the emperor or king because they said that God gave them this power."

Gelasius I was also remembered because of his reaction to the Acacian division-Eastern and Western Christian churches diverged from 484 to 519.

During this time, Gelasius asserted the supremacy of Rome and the pope, East and West of the entire church, which experts believe went further than any of his predecessors.

Gelasius is also responsible for a popular celebration, which is still iconic every year - established St. Valentine's Day on February 14, 496 to commemorate Christian the Christian Martyr St Valentine.

Some claims that the lover was a priest who continued to hold a secret wedding when Emperor Claudius II forbidden.

Historians believe that Valentine's Day is rooted in Roman Love and Fertility Day, Lupercalia, a move by Gelasius I toward the Christian pagan tradition.

Professor Belito said there is no way to understand exactly what these three popes look like.

He told the BBC: "We must remember that the Roman Empire and its medieval times did not think of race because what we think of now is nothing to do with skin color."

“The people in the Roman Empire did not deal with race, they deal with race.”

Professor Philomena Mwaura, a scholar at Kenyatta University in Kenya, told the BBC that Roman Africa is very multicultural, with local Berber and the Habu group freeing slaves and people from Rome that they found there.

“The North African community is very different and for many people involved in early trade, it is also a trade route.”

Professor Mwaura added that “most people who belong to the inner regions of the Roman Empire view themselves as Romans” rather than identifying with specific ethnic groups.

Since Gelasius I, no pope has been from Africa.

Professor Mvola said: “The church in North Africa was weakened by many forces, including the fall of the Roman Empire and the invasion of Muslims in the 7th century (entering North Africa).

However, some experts believe that the universality of Islam in North Africa does not explain that there is no Pope on the entire African continent for more than 1,500 years.

Professor Belito said the process of electing the new pope has become a "Italian monopoly" for many years.

But, he said, it is very likely that in the near future, the popes in Asia or Africa are as Catholics in the southern hemisphere surpass those in the northern ones.

In fact, Catholicism in sub-Saharan Africa is faster than anywhere else today.

The latest data shows that there are 281 million Catholics in Africa in 2023. This accounts for 20% of the global masses.

Three Africans are taking over Pope Francis - Fridolin Ambongu Besungu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana and Robert Sarah of Guinea.

But Professor Mvola argued: “Although Christianity is very strong in Africa, the power of the church is still in the north, and the resources there are already”.

"Perhaps, as it remains very strong on the African continent and supports itself, there may be a pope in Africa for a while," she said.