NIANGARA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of. — In the northeastern part of the Belgian Congo, entrusted to the Dominicans, it was erected as an apostolic prefecture, under the name of Eastern Uellé, on 18 Dec. 1911, by division of that of Uellé (v. BITA); it was elevated to an apostolic vicariate on 6 May 1924 and received its present name on 14 Dec. 1926. Its boundaries were modified on 15 Feb. 1935 through the annexation of part of the territory of Misa and Bongo, detached from the Apostolic Vicariate of Stanley Falls (now of Stanleyville [v.]). On 3 Apr. 1941 the chefferie of Solo was detached from the vicariate of N. and united to that of Bondo. The vicariate of N. covers an area of approximately 100,000 sq. km., with a population of approximately 600,000, belonging to various tribes (Mahere and Monwu, generally considered indigenous; Azande, Abarambo, Bangba, probably originating from the north; Mangbetu, originating from the south; Logo and Bari, Nilotic), not highly developed, impulsive, fickle, and superstitious in character. Polygamy is widespread among them, but they nevertheless display a certain degree of morality. The Azande have a clear notion of one God and supreme lord, as well as of the immortality of the soul. The other tribes possess a more obscure conception of these truths. All of them, moreover, practice a cult of the dead and make use of amulets and magical practices.
There are more than 86,000 Catholics, with more than 20,000 catechumens; approximately 10,000 Protestants; nearly 500,000 pagans; 4 native priests and 58 foreign priests; 7 native lay brothers and 8 foreign ones; 20 native sisters and 51 foreign sisters; 1,020 catechists; 666 teachers; and a regional seminary. There are 17 principal mission stations and 966 secondary ones; 32 churches, 954 chapels, 13 dispensaries, 12 hospitals, 11 leprosariums, 9 orphanages, and 8 shelters; 107 elementary schools, secondary schools, and teacher-training schools.