Brazzaville, Apostolic Vicariate of

BRAZZAVILLE, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - The city of B., capital of French Equatorial Africa, on the right bank of the Congo, at the point where the river widens to form Stanley Pool, has 25,000 inhabitants. It is linked to the Atlantic Ocean by the Congo-Océan railway, which starts from the port of Pointe Noire.

The apostolic vicariate of B., so called since 21 June 1922, is the former vicariate of the French Upper Congo (or Ubangi), created on 14 Oct. 1890, and already in part, the French Congo (1886). In 1909 the northern region was detached from it to form the prefecture of Ubangi (today the apostolic vicariate of Bangui [v.]).

Its first apostolic vicar was the illustrious Msgr. Augouard. For fifteen years it seemed that the work was in vain: then, as if suddenly, those fierce tribes turned to the Catholic religion. After 40 years there were 40,000 Catholics. At present the mission still encounters serious difficulties: the new native mentality, greedy for gain, for material well-being, for freedom; the scourge of general polygamy, with the well-known disorders of forced marriages, to check which a dowry fund has been created and regulatory norms for marriage are being demanded from the government; finally, Protestantism. Since 1911 the mission has had its minor seminary, to which a major seminary was added in 1947. It has given rise to a Congregation of native brothers (who direct, among other things, the carpentry workshop at Linzolo) and one of native sisters; of European sisters there are two Congregations, that of St. Joseph of Cluny, which, since 1892, has worked in the stations of the Lower Congo (at B. and at Kindaneba) and that of the Franciscan Missionaries, in the Alima region to the north: girls' schools, dispensaries and the formation of Christian spouses constitute their occupations. The linguistic activity of the missionaries is lively, with grammars, dictionaries, catechisms and other books of Christian instruction.

The population is about 400,000 inhabitants over an area of 200,000 sq km.; the movement of conversions is consoling: from 1935 to 1939 there were average annual increases of 4,000 Catholics. The latest statistics (1948) record 100,752 Catholics assisted by 57 missionaries, of whom 6 are native; 23 brothers, of whom 6 are native; 37 sisters, of whom 9 are native; 293 catechists. The Protestants are about 40,000 and the pagans about 240,000. There are 39 elementary schools with 5,890 pupils; 4 middle schools with 348 pupils; 4 higher schools with 38 pupils; 10 vocational schools with 434 pupils; 1 normal school with 18 pupils.

Giovanni Battista Tragella