Palembang, Apostolic Vicariate of

PALEMBANG, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - In the southern part of Sumatra (Indonesia). On June 30, 1911, the entire island was detached from the apostolic vicariate of Batavia (today Djakarta) and erected into the apostolic prefecture of Sumatra. On Dec. 27, 1923, the same prefecture was divided into the three of Banka and Billiton (today the apostolic vicariate of Pangkalpinang), of Padang (today the apostolic vicariate of Medan) and of Benkulen. The latter, on June 13, 1939, was elevated to a vicariate with its present name of P.

The first to undertake the work of evangelization in Sumatra were some Theatines, at the beginning of the 18th century. But the true beginning of the missions in the island can be placed in 1888, when the first bands of Jesuits arrived from Holland. They immediately founded a mission station in the village of Tandijong Sakti, in the district of Benkulen. The Jesuits had been preceded here by the Protestants, who, however, after a few years of sterile work, had departed. In 1911 the apostolic prefecture of Sumatra with the islands of Banka, Billiton and the Riouw archipelago was entrusted to the Capuchins. On Sept. 23, 1924, the priests of the Sacred Heart arrived there, to whom the vicariate of P. is currently entrusted.

The Malays constitute the preponderant part of the population and inhabit, by preference, the coastal zone. To the north of P. are the Kubus, who only recently have begun to come under the influence of civilization. Here too one encounters the Javanese element, ancient ruler at the time of the Empire of Madjapahit (14th century), slowly destroyed by Muslim expansion. There is no lack of Chinese, who offer the missionary greater possibility of gathering some fruit. The predominant religion in southern Sumatra is Islam.

Spiritual state of the mission: over a territory of 186,000 sq km, the population is about 3,230,814 inhabitants. There are 5718 Catholics with 408 catechumens, 3000 Protestants, 2,500,000 Mohammedans, 700,000 pagans. There are 23 priests, 17 brothers, 82 sisters both foreign and native, 1 major seminarian and 11 minor, 25 catechists, 103 teachers, 95 doctors; 30 sacred buildings; 4 hospitals; 3 orphanages; 9 elementary schools; 6 middle schools; 2 vocational schools; 12 primary stations and 17 secondary. The city of P. is the residence of the Ordinary.

Edoardo Pecorsio