ARAUCA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - The civilizing work of the Araucanian mission (South America), begun at the time of the Spanish conquest, was strenuously carried out, despite the oppressions and injustices of the colonizers and the bloody rebellions of the Indians, by Franciscans and Jesuits. After the latter were expelled in 1767, the former remained with jurisdiction over the Araucanians. With the erection of the diocese of San Carlo di Ancud (1840), given the scarcity of diocesan and missionary clergy, in 1847 the Chilean government, having reached an agreement with the Capuchins, turned to the Holy See for the sending of new evangelical workers. By decree of the Propaganda Fide of May 1848, twelve Italian Capuchins were assigned, led by Fr. Vigilio da Lonigo as apostolic prefect, without a territory of their own but with personal jurisdiction over the Indians, later regulated by special conventions (1871, 1908) with the bishop of Ancud. As the Italian missionaries were insufficient in number, in 1895 the mission passed to the Bavarian province of the same Capuchins. The mission was erected as an apostolic prefecture on 16 July 1901 and elevated to a vicariate on 28 March 1928.
Territory: 29,230 sq. km. Total population: 328,481 inhabitants, of whom 73,535 are Araucanians. Personnel: 65 priests, 44 brothers, and 206 sisters. This personnel was distributed across 25 quasi-parishes, with 25 churches and 68 chapels. There are 117 schools with 11,921 pupils. There is also a sanatorium-hospital for indigenous people. A printing press publishes three periodicals.