Christianity historically has been interconnected with Haiti's social and political life and continues to be influential today. For instance, the influence of liberation theology predicated the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship and paved the way for the 1987 Constitution, founded on human rights and recognition of religious pluralism. In fact, Christianity has played such a strong socio-political role that it has not only impacted the very foundations of the country but continues to be influential in national and civic affairs, including at times of national crisis such as the earthquake disaster of 2010.

As a result of the voyage of Christopher Columbus, the island called Ayti by the Amerindians was transformed into Hispaniola, possession of Spain. The inhabitants, then known as Taínos, were enslaved and forcibly converted to Christianity. The Dominican religious Antonio Montesinos, followed by Bartolomé de Las Casas, argued for the defence of the Taínos against the mistreatment of the conquerors and opened an era of theological debates (in Valladolid) on the rights of the people to decide for themselves.

The French, through the West India Company in 1635, justified the enslavement of black Africans through the imposition of a Catholic baptism on all slaves and therefore their forced conversion. With the promulgation of the Black Code in 1685, in the context of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, both Protestant worship and African religious practices were prohibited. Paradoxically, the slaves showed exceptional enthusiasm for Catholic practices; the worship of saints was adapted to honour the African deities, leading to the birth of Vodou. This mixture of Catholic and Vodou practices gave Christianity in Haiti a particular form that lasts to this day. Many parishes remain important pilgrimage sites, attracting tens of thousands of faithful Catholics and Vodouists every year.

Having a different interpretation of Christianity, during the eighteenth century Vodou religious leaders organised resistance against slavery. In 1791, a general insurrection was conceived with the support of several priests. In 1804, following the military expedition of Napoleon to reinstitute slavery, Haiti became independent. The resulting Haitian authority, spurred by the presence of colonial slave powers surrounding the country, continued to recognise Catholicism as the official religion, in order to seek recognition from Rome, which was achieved only in 1860, after the signing of a concordat.