BEZWADA [VIJAYAWADA], Diocese of. - In India, a suffragan of Madras, it embraces the civil districts of Kistna and West Godavari, plus three districts of East Godavari. The population is 3,500,000 inhabitants, all of Dravidian stock, of whom 30 percent are pariahs; the prevailing language is Telugu. The religion is Hindu for nine tenths of them.
The mission arose in 1933 by detachment from the diocese of Hyderabad (Deccan), following the development of the apostolate that had come about in that region. As its success continued, on 13 April 1937 it was elevated to a diocese. The new mission, like Hyderabad, is governed by the fathers of the Institute for Foreign Missions of Milan. The Catholics, from 23,000 at the founding of the mission, rose to 38,000 in 1939, and are at present (latest report of 1943) 41,543. There are several scholastic works (schools: industrial, teacher-training, middle and elementary), charitable works (maternity hospital, orphanages, dispensaries), and social works (provident fund for catechists, rural banks for the pariahs, etc.); Catholic Action is lively (scout groups, annual collective feasts of the districts, meetings of village heads, catechism competitions, a monthly little newspaper).
The mission is assisted by the Sisters of St. Anne of Turin, by their namesakes of Lucerne, and by two native Congregations: the native catechists of St. Anne and those of Maria Bambina, with a total of about sixty sisters. The catechists number more than 200. The total school population is 7,041 children.
The difficulties of the mission are represented by intense Protestant propaganda (there are "missions" of every denomination), by communism spread here and there, and by Indian nationalism, which is not well disposed toward Christian proselytism.
Bibliography4 works
Giovanni B. Tragella