BANGUI, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - The name given in 1940 to the Apostolic Vicariate of Ubangi-Chari in French Equatorial Africa, following the detachment of part of its original territory to form the new Prefecture of Berberati. The mission had been established, as an Apostolic Prefecture, in 1909 by the French Congo (now Brazzaville) with only two stations. In 1910, evangelization began among the numerous tribes of the interior, speaking different languages, so that by 1929 stations were opened in three centers inhabited by prominent tribes: among the Saras at Maundu, among the Bayas and Karrès at Bozoum, and among the Nzakara at Bangui. The main difficulties of the apostolate are the multiplicity of languages and the indigenous mentality, which is jealous of its freedom and distrustful of the white man. The center of activities, with a school for catechists, vocational schools, works for engaged women, plantations, etc., is the station of St. Paul near B.
In 1937 the Prefecture became a Vicariate, and in 1940 it assumed its new name. In 1931 there were 2,367 Catholics; now, according to 1948 statistics, there are 32,669 Catholics and 22,022 catechumens out of a population of approximately 663,000. There are 20 dissenters, 20,000 Protestants, 30,000 Muslims, and 560,000 pagans. There are 13 primary stations, 520 secondary stations, 34 elementary schools with 3,507 pupils, 5 middle schools with 81 pupils, 3 vocational schools with 160 pupils, and 1 normal school with 11 pupils. There are 33 priests (of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit), 8 brothers, and 23 sisters.