Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tunis to close down all the Catholic churches in the country, forced the Holy See to accept an agreement of the type known as a modus vivendi, a term that literally means "a way of living". This particular agreement was unofficially described as instead a "modus non moriendi" ("a way of not dying"). By it, all but 5 of the country's more than 70 churches were handed over to the state, including what had been the cathedral of the archdiocese, while the state, for its part, promised that the buildings would be put only to use of public interest consonant with
Archdiocese of Carthage in Tunisia legal personality and stated that it was legally represented by the prelate "nullius" of Tunis. The Holy See chose the prelate "nullius" but the government could object against the candidate before an appointment. The "modus vivendi" banned the Catholic Church from any political activity in Tunisia. This particular agreement was unofficially described as instead a "modus non moriendi" ("a way of not dying"). By it, all but five of the country's more than seventy churches were handed over to the state, including what had been the cathedral of the archdiocese, while the state, for its part, promised that