Tshumbé, Apostolic Vicariate of

TSHUMBÉ, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It is located in the central-eastern part of the Belgian Congo and lies roughly between the 24th meridian of longitude and the 4th parallel of latitude.

It forms part of the province of Kasai, of which it embraces almost the entire civil district of Sankuru. Its erection as an apostolic vicariate dates back to 13 March 1947, by elevation of the apostolic prefecture of the same name, which in turn was established on 15 May 1936 with territory detached from the then apostolic vicariate of Upper Kasai (now the apostolic vicariate of Luluabourg). It is entrusted to the care of the Passionists, who, having arrived there in 1930 to assist the Missionaries of Scheut, founded there in 1931 the two mission stations of Ifuta and Mwetshi and eventually came to take it over exclusively.

Over an area of approximately 60,000 sq km, it has about 183,000 inhabitants, of whom 32,917 are Catholics, 8,000 Protestants, and the rest pagans; it has 594 churches, of which 50 are parishes, served by 3 indigenous priests and 31 foreign priests (Passionists); 313 schools, 20 charitable institutions; furthermore a printing press with a monthly periodical: Nhuruse (1,240 copies). Evangelization proceeds slowly because it is hindered, on the one hand, by the emigration of the young, and on the other, far more seriously, by the depravity of morals and in particular by polygamy, which, although recently struck by a government decree (4 April 1950), still remains a very widespread custom.

Mariano Clementi