LIBREVILLE, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. — It is located in French Equatorial Africa and originated from the Apostolic Vicariate of the Two Guineas (v. GUINEA). Indeed, the beginnings of the evangelization of the territory of the present vicariate date back to 1842. The Apostolic Vicar resided at the church of St Mary in L., and thus that mission has the honor of having been the center of all the others on the western coast of Africa. For this reason, the said church obtained from Pius X the indulgence “ad instar Portiunculae,” to be gained by the faithful on 29 September of each year, the anniversary of the first Mass celebrated in Gabon.
Following successive divisions of the ancient Apostolic Vicariate of the Two Guineas, the territory was greatly reduced and in 1886 received the name of Gabon because it almost exactly corresponds to the territory of the colony of the same name. By decree of 10 July 1947 it took the name of L. It belongs entirely to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit.
It has an area of approximately 280,000 sq. km. and is crossed by the equator. The climate is particularly unhealthy, humid, and hot. The indigenous population belongs to the Bantu family and is divided into about twenty tribes and sub-tribes with a rudimentary social constitution, in which only the authority of the family head is recognized. Polygamy and slavery prevail.
Out of a population of 350,000, there are 120,000 indigenous Catholics distributed in 23 parishes and 787 missionary stations, served by 17 diocesan priests and 33 religious, assisted by 18 male and 14 female religious congregations. There are 80 educational institutions and 14 charitable and welfare works. Catholic Action associations are not lacking, and the periodical *Echos du Gabon* is printed there with about 2,000 copies (Ann. Pont., 1951, p. 677).