LEOPOLDVILLE, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of. — In the western part of the Belgian Congo, it is entrusted to the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Scheut missionaries).
On 22 Jan. 1886, while introducing a new organization for the missions of equatorial Africa, Propaganda decided to establish the mission of the Belgian or Independent Congo, formed by the territory bearing this name, as it had been recognized by the Treaty of Berlin (15 Nov. 1884), excluding only the part of the territory assigned (brief of 11 Jan. 1887) to the new vicariate of the Upper Congo (now Baudoinville [v.]).
This mission of the Belgian Congo was raised to an apostolic vicariate on 11 May 1888 and subsequently underwent numerous divisions for the creation of new apostolic vicariates and prefectures. With the latest modification, dated 26 May 1950, the apostolic vicariate of L. has an area of approximately 170,000 sq. km and, according to the statistics for 1949, approximately 475,000 inhabitants, 115,130 Catholics (of whom 106,291 are indigenous, 8,150 foreign, and 689 of mixed descent), 11,762 catechumens, 60 dissenters of the Eastern rite, 40 Jews, 1,371 Muslims, 62,553 Protestants, and the remainder (approximately 284,000) pagans. It is served by 110 regular priests and 4
(photo Fides)
LEOPOLDVILLE, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of — Christian village. Indigenous hut with cruciform ornaments.
indigenous priests, distributed among 23 districts and 30 mission stations, with 31 churches and 510 chapels. It has 3 male and 10 female religious congregations, 261 schools, 11 hospitals, a home for the elderly, 1 isolation hospital, 1 leprosarium, and 9 maternity homes. It publishes 6 periodicals, with a total circulation of 8,500 copies; and there are numerous confraternities and charitable associations of Catholic Action.