LAGO MOERO, APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE OF. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the Belgian Congo and takes its name from the lake which forms for a long stretch its eastern boundary. It embraces the whole 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, two distinct ecclesiastical circumscriptions were thus created: the Vicariate of Lulua (q.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 forms a veritable boundary line between the two regions) and ethnographical reasons (the population of the eastern region differs from that of the western region in race and customs), also to give to each of the two provinces of Belgian Franciscan friars, assigned to the said territories, their own missionary field: to the Province of St Joseph with Flemish fathers the Apostolic Vicariate of Lulua, and to the Province of the B.V.M. Mediatrix, with Walloon fathers, the Apostolic Prefecture of L. M. This Prefecture has an area of approx. 30,000 sq. km., and at the time of its erection (July 1948) it had approx. 150,000 inhabitants, 8,500 Catholics, 15,000 catechumens; foreign missionary personnel: 13 priests, 2 lay brothers, 7 sisters; 4 mission stations with residence and 2 others in course of foundation; 150 elementary schools with approx. 7,000 pupils of both sexes.