The Primate of Africa is an honorific title in the Roman Catholic church, but in early Christianity was the leading bishop (primas) in Africa except for Mauretania which was under the bishop of Rome and Egypt which was suffragan to Alexandria. There were at times primates in Numidia and Byzacena, and Donatist claimants, but generally the role of the bishop of Carthage was seen as total. Pope Leo confirmed the primacy of the Bishop of Carthage in 446 when he wrote: Indeed, after the Roman Bishop, the leading Bishop and metropolitan for all Africa is the Bishop of Carthage.