SALISBURY, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF - It is situated in Southern Rhodesia and originated from the “sui iuris” Mission of the Zambezi, erected on 2 July 1879, with territory partly detached from the former apostolic vicariate of Natal, now the archdiocese of Durban, the apostolic vicar having renounced (cf. letter of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, 10 Aug. 1876) a stretch of territory extending from 11° to 18° south latitude.
In 1881 the Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda extended the faculties of the Jesuit missionaries also to the Portuguese territory of the Lower Zambezi. The area of the mission was 1,206,075 sq. km. and extended from the sources to the mouth of the Zambezi River. In 1890 the Portuguese territory was detached from the mission. On 28 June 1912 the boundaries were modified with the apostolic vicariate of Nyassa. On 9 March 1915 it was raised to an apostolic prefecture. On 14 July 1927 the northern region along the Zambezi was erected into the apostolic prefecture of Broken Hill, and the remaining territory was called the apostolic prefecture of S. On 4 Jan. 1931 the southern and western zone was detached from it to form the “sui iuris” Mission of Bulawayo, which on 18 July 1932 was raised to a prefecture and on 13 Apr. 1937 to a vicariate. The apostolic prefecture of S. was raised to an apostolic vicariate on 3 March 1931. On 14 Nov. 1946 the south-eastern districts were detached to form the apostolic prefecture of Fort Victoria, raised to a vicariate on 24 June 1950.
It now has an area of 120,127 sq. km., with a European population of 84,576 and a non-European population of 995,000 inhabitants. The Catholics are: 5,500 Europeans, 345 Indians, 111 coloured, na-