Enciclopedia Cattolica

LIBER GENERATIONIS

Volume VII · p. 760 · 1951

English translation · Testo originale italiano

LIBER GENERATIONIS. — Cronaca latina, con dati presi dalla S. Scrittura; elenco dei reggenti, che termina nell'a. 234.
LIBER GENERATIONIS. — Cronaca latina, con dati presi dalla S. Scrittura; elenco dei reggenti, che termina nell'a. 234.
Image from page 760
Image from page 760

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

Mommsen observed that the *L. g.* is, in essence, nothing more than a recension of the *Chronicle of Hippolytus*. The *L. g.* is, alongside the *Chronica Hieronymi* (in the *Chronograph of the Year 354*) and the chronicle attributed to the *Excerpta latina barbara* (7th–8th century), one of the Latin witnesses to the work of Hippolytus.

BIBL.: The edition of the three Latin translations and recensions of Hippolytus’ work in *Chronica minora*, ed. Th. Mommsen, in *MGH, Auct. antiquissimi*, IX, pp. 78–140. Another edition was published by C. Frick, *Chronica minora*, Leipzig 1892; Ad. Bauer, *Die Chronik Hippolyts*, Leipzig 1929, p. 4 ff. Erik Peterson

LIBERIA. —

I. GEOGRAPHY

It is the smallest (95,000 to 120,000 sq. km.) of the three independent states of Africa. It was founded in 1822 by American philanthropists who settled there several families of freed black slaves (whence the name).

It comprises the so-called Pepper Coast (Guinea) between Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast, and the hinterland as far as the mountain massif

(see *U. A. Bernatzik, Il continente nero* [Orbis terrarum], *Berlin 1930, pl. 6*)

LIBERIA. — Church at Pandemai, built by a native missionary.

which comprises the south-eastern part of L., and is in the Apostolic Vicariate of Monrovia. Giovanni B. Tragella

III. LEGAL STATUS OF THE CHURCH

The Catholic Church enjoys in L. freedom of movement and action, so that well-founded hopes may be entertained of the progress of Catholicism in the country; hitherto, in fact, the number of Catholics is small: 9,363 out of a population of about 2,500,000 souls.

The Government places no obstacles in the way of the Church’s important educational activity. Similarly developed is medical assistance. The annual consultations in the 6 dispensaries of the missions amount to about 30,000. The Government of the Republic has always maintained cordial relations with the Holy See. In 1927 regular diplomatic relations were established; the President of L. accredited a plenipotentiary minister to the Supreme Pontiff, and His Holiness appointed a permanent chargé d’affaires, the only instance among the pontifical representations with diplomatic character. From the outset this mission has been entrusted to the Apostolic Vicar of Monrovia.

A recent proof of the esteem and deference which the Government bears toward the Catholic Church and Catholics was given on the occasion of the international conference of UNESCO at Florence in September 1950; for the first time Catholics were chosen, among them the only native priest, to represent the Republic in that international assembly, despite the predominance of Protestants in L. Ippolito Rotoli