SALISBURY [HARARE], APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It is located in Southern Rhodesia and originates from the "sui iuris" Mission of the Zambezi erected on 2 July 1879, with territory partly detached from the apostolic vicariate of Natal, now the archdiocese of Durban, the apostolic vicar having renounced (cf. letter of the S. Congr. of Prop. Fide, 10 Aug. 1876) a stretch of territory extending to the 18th degree of southern 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 1,206,975 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 with the apostolic vicariate of Nyassa were modified. On 9 March 1915 it was elevated to an apostolic prefecture. On 14 July 1927 the northern region along the course of 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 elevated to a prefecture and on 13 Apr. 1937 to a vicariate. The apostolic prefecture of S. on 3 March 1931 was elevated to an apostolic vicariate. On 14 Nov. 1946 the south-eastern districts were detached to form the apostolic prefecture of Fort Victoria, elevated 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: Europeans 5,500, Indians 345, coloured 111, natives 41,888, catechumens 7,727. Priests 79, brothers 41, European sisters 311, native sisters 118. Catechists 193. Christians 69, Schools 174, hospitals 12, orphanages 11. Mission stations approx. 30.
Bibliography6 works
Saverio Paventi