History of Christianity in Haiti

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The Spanish first brought Catholicism to the island. The first European to set foot on Haiti, Christopher Columbus landed on December 6, 1492, by way of San Salvador, with three ships. His own ship, the Santa Maria ran aground near Mole St. Nicolas on the northwest of the island. Some evangelization efforts were extended to the natives, though this population was soon nearly wiped out through disease and slavery. African slaves, brought to work in their place, were introduced to Christianity.

During Spanish rule, religion was one of the most important aspects of life on the island. Catholic missionaries traveled inland to Christianize most of the island inhabitants. In 1511, three bishoprics formed and the inhabitants appeared enthusiastic. However, missionary work among such impoverished people on a tropical island was challenging. Diseases such as 'yellow fever' and malaria killed many missionaries and their converts.

Under French rule, Capuchins and Jesuits did most of the missionary work in the 18th century. From 1804, when independence was declared, until 1860, the country was in schism. Relations were regularized by a concordat concluded in 1860, when an archdiocese and four dioceses were established. Most of the population of Haiti adheres to the Catholic faith, though some combine this with elements of vodou.

Protestantism was introduced to the newly independent nation in 1807, and missionary efforts have been ongoing. Today, Protestants make up at least one-sixth of the population and as much as one-third.

The largest Christian denomination in the country is Roman Catholicism, which is estimated to be about 55 percent of the population according to the 2018 CIA World Factbook, and 57 percent according to the Pew Research Center. The historical background is very much due to the French influence brought about through the newly conquered territories.

Protestantism has grown in recent years and Protestants are currently estimated by the CIA World Factbook to form 28.5% of the population, while the Pew Research Center estimates their share to be nearly 30 percent. Below is a breakdown of percentage religious affiliation in Haiti according to a survey by the Haitian Government's Planning Ministry.

Denomination	Haiti	AR	CE	GA & NI	ND	NE	NO	SD	OU	SE
Catholic	58.3	53.7	51.8	68.5	62.3	64.7	59.2	61.5	55.9	60.8
Baptist	15.7	14.9	22.8	7.9	20.3	26.4	23.6	14.5	13.3	16.1
Eglise de Dieu	9.4	11.5	14.2	10.9	2.0	0.9	6.6	10.6	9.8	13.4
Pentecostal	4.8	2.7	3.4	1.6	3.8	0.8	1.1	5.1	8.4	0.9
Adventist	2.9	2.2	1.8	0.9	5.5	2.9	6.1	1.3	3.3	1.4
Wesleyan	0.9	0.2	0.6	0.5	2.7	0.2	-	0.3	1.2	1.3
Episcopal	0.5	0.7	1.4	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.2	0.7	0.6
Others & Non-Christian	7.5	14.1	4.0	9.6	3.3	4.0	3.1	6.5	7.4	5.5
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

AR=Artibonite; CE= Centre; GA & NI= Grand'Anse & Nippes; ND= Nord; NE= Nord-Est

NO= Nord-Ouest; SD= Sud; OU= Ouest; SE= Sud-Est;

First broadcast of church radio in Haiti

Protestant was the first church allowing broadcast programs in 1950, for up to three hours from Monday to Saturday. The first broadcast was done in the backroom of a church. The two programs were Radio 4VEH and Radio Lumiere. The first test transmission was given in Haiti. The transmission emitted a message stating "4VEH, you are coming in clear and strong". It was the first transmission for the radio 4VEH. Later, the Christian radio station became known worldwide to people, and then the first transmission in Spanish from this station was announced in the year of 1952. Following that, they started doing the broadcasts in other different languages such as French, English etc. In 1978, a Catholic station, Radio Soleil, began functioning. Today there are music and programmes in French and English for 17 hours a day.