Bangui, Apostolic Vicariate of

BANGUI, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - New 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 created, with the rank of apostolic prefecture, in 1909 from the French Congo (now Brazzaville) with only two stations. In 1910 the evangelical penetration began among the tribes of the interior, very numerous and with different languages, so that in the year 1929 stations were opened in three centers inhabited by the best tribes: among the Saras at Maundu, among the Bayas and the Karrès at Bozoum, among the Nzakards at Bangui. The principal difficulties of the apostolate are the multiplicity of languages and the native mentality, jealous of its freedom and distrustful of the white man. The center of the works, with a school for catechists, vocational schools, works for engaged girls, plantations, etc., is the station of St. Paul near B.

In 1937 the prefecture became a vicariate, and in 1940 it took the new name. In 1931 Catholics numbered 2,367; now, according to the statistics of 1948, they number 32,669 and the catechumens 22,022 out of a population of about 663,000 inhabitants. The dissidents number 20, the Protestants 20,000, the Muslims 30,000, the pagans 560,000. The primary stations are 13, the secondary 520, the elementary schools 34 with 3,507 pupils, the middle schools 5 with 81 pupils, the vocational schools 3 with 160 pupils, the normal school 1 with 11 pupils. The fathers (of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit) are 33, the brothers 8, the sisters 23.

Giovanni B. Tragella