Pretoria, Archdiocese of

PRETORIA, ARCHDIOCESE OF. - In the Union of South Africa. The city of P. is the seat of the civil government and capital of the province of Transvaal.

In 1869, Fr. Le Bihan preached a mission on a farm along the banks of the Vaal, when Catholicism was prohibited by law in the Republic of Transvaal. Following protests, freedom of worship was granted and President Martin Pretorius gave the land to build a church at P. On 8 June 1887 the first Mass was celebrated there. On 4 June 1886, the apostolic vicariate of Natal having been divided, the territory became part of the apostolic prefecture of Transvaal, which on 16 Sept. 1904 became a vicariate. On 9 Apr. 1948 the new apostolic vicariate of P. was erected with territory detached from the vicariate of Transvaal, which took the name of Johannesburg. It comprises the civil districts of P., which includes the recently established districts of Brankhorstspruit and Groblersdal, Brits, Rustenburg and Marico: the latter two detached from the apostolic vicariate of Kimberley, now a diocese. With the establishment of the ecclesiastical hierarchy in the Union of South Africa on 11 Jan. 1951 the vicariate was elevated to an archdiocese of P., with the suffragan dioceses of Johannesburg, Lydenburg, Bremersdorp and the abbey nullius of Pietersburg.

The area is approximately 49,474 sq. km. with a population of approximately 723,074, of whom 212,138 are of European descent, 496,854 Africans, 7,038 Indians and 7,044 mixed. Catholics number 15,130, that is 2.1% of the entire population; African Catholics (8,519) represent only 1.7% of the African population. Protestants number approximately 530,000; Jews approximately 4,000, Muslims approximately 2,500, pagans approximately 170,000.

The archdiocese is entrusted to the native clergy represented by 5 priests, assisted by 8 fathers Oblates of Mary Immaculate and by 9 Redemptorists. The brothers number 15, the sisters 100, catechists 27, quasi-parishes 3, primary stations 10, secondary 12, churches 3, chapels 17. Hospitals 2, dispensaries 5. Elementary schools 19, middle schools 5, high schools 4, vocational schools 2. The periodical The Keys is published there in 1,000 copies. The pious associations are numerous.

Saverio Paventi