LAGO MOERO, APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE of. - It is situated in the south-eastern part of the Belgian Congo and takes its name from the lake that washes its eastern boundary for a considerable stretch. It comprises the entire eastern zone of the territory formerly belonging to the apostolic vicariate of Lulua-Katanga Centrale. With the division, which took place on 8 July 1948, there were thus two distinct ecclesiastical jurisdictions: LUCILLA (v.) to the west and the prefecture of L. M. to the east.
The division took place, in addition to geographical reasons (the Lufira River constitutes a true boundary line between the two regions) and ethnographic reasons (the population of the eastern region differs from that of the western region in race and customs), also in order to give each of the two provinces of Belgian Friars Minor assigned to the territories in question its own field of mission: to the province of St. Joseph, with Flemish fathers, the apostolic vicariate of Lulua; and to the province of the B.M.V. Mediatrix, with Walloon fathers, the apostolic prefecture of L.M. The latter has an area of approximately 30,000 sq. km. and, at the time of its erection (July 1948), numbered approximately 150,000 inhabitants, 8,500 Catholics, and 15,000 catechumens; foreign missionary personnel: 13 priests, 2 lay brothers, 7 nuns; 4 mission stations with resident personnel and 2 others in the course of foundation; 150 elementary schools with approximately 7,000 pupils of both sexes.