CONGO
235
CONGO
do no morp tlian put their mark to these documents.
One of tlieni imitated the feudal system and divided
his kingdom into seigniories, duchies, etc. At the be-
gimiing of the seventeenth century a native chief,
Alvarez II, sent one of his relatives, a maniiiis, as his
representative to the papal court. The ambassador
arrived in Rome in a dying condition and expired the
day after his arrival, the Eve of Epiphany, 1008.
Paul V, who personally assisted the amliassador in his
last moments, gave him a magnificent state funeral
and erected to his memory a monument at St. Mary
Major's. Later, Urban VIII had a superb mauso-
leum erected to him by Bernini; it still stands at the
entrance to the choir of the basilica. The Domini-
cans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Jesuits were the
first missionaries of the Congo. In spite of the prom-
ising beginnings, their labours, though trying, were
rather fruitless. In the seventeenth century the
Jesuits had two colleges, one at Loanda, another, of
minor importance, at San Salvador. On the whole,
religion never really took firm root, and was early
brought into discredit by the vices and slave-trading
of the Portuguese. It has managed, however, to
linger on in Portuguese Congo to our days. While the
Portuguese alwaj-s confined themselves to the Lower
Congo, as early as the seventeenth century the mis-
sionaries had traversed the course of the Zaire, and
a seventeenth-century maphas been discovered which
traces the river according to data supplied by them.
From this it would seem that Stanley has not the di-;-
tinction of being the first white man to explore thi-
L' i)per Congo.
Modern. — French and Portuguese Congo. — On 20 May, 1716, Clement XI created the episcopal see of Santa Cruz do Reino de Angola. The residence was at first at San Salvador, but was later on transferred to Loanda. The Portuguese bishop of this town has under his jurisdiction about twenty priests. It is through this see that the ancient and modern missions of Congo are united (see Angol.\). The first modern missionaries were the Fathers of the Holy Ghost (mother-house at Paris). Towards the middle of the nineteenth century this flourishing congregation of missionaries had the spiritual care of all the West African coast from the Senegal to the Orange River, with the exception of the Diocese of Loanda. They still have charge of all French Congo and of Portu- guese Congo (Loanda excepted).
(1) French Congo. — The Fathers of the Holy Ghost have here three vicariates: — (a) Gabon, foimded in 1842 and confided to them in 1845. Mgr. Adam is vicar Apostolic; 12 residences; mission staff, 42 priests, 21 brothers, 1 native priest, 7 native brothers, and 41 catechists. (b) Loango River (Lower French CongoX foimd(-il, 24 Nov., 1886; pro-vicar Apostolic, Mgr. DC'rouet; G residences; mission staff, IS priests, 11 brothers, 1 native priest, 8 native seminarists, 17 native brothers, and 60 catechists. — (c) Ubanghi (Upper French Congo), founded, 14 Oct., 1890;\'icar Apostolic is Mgr. Augouard; 7 residences; mi.ssion staff, 24 priests, 16 brothers, and 14 catechists. The Christians of these three vicariates number about 40,000, of w'hom more than half are catechumens.
(2) Portuguese Congo. — This has a prefecture Apostolic dating from 27 June, 1640. The Capuchins administered it until 18.34, when the mission was abandoned. A pontifical decree of 1 Sept., 1865, re- established it and entrusted it to the Fathers of the Iloly Ghost; 4 residences. 11 prie.sts, 11 brothers, 12 native seminarists, 10 native brothers, and 24 cate- chists; Christians about 7000. These figures repre- Bent the condition of the missions of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost in March, 1906.
The Free State. — Charles George Gordon, the hero of Khartoum, a Presbyterian, was among the first to draw the attention of Leopold II to the need of estab- lishing numerous Catholic missions in his African king-
dom. At the beginning of 1884, some days before his
dejiarture for the Sudan, Gordon was chosen General
Administrator of the Stations of the International As-
sociation, and in this quality had an interview with
Leopold, towards the end of which Gordon remarked:
"Sire, we have forgott(-n the principal tiling — the
missionaries". "Oh, I have already considered the
question", said LeoiJold. "The Association gives
lielp and protection to all missionaries; further, it
has given a subsidy to the missionaries of the Bible
Society, to the Baptists ..." "Yes," replied
Gordon, "but you must also send Roman mission-
aries, many Roman missionaries" (Revue G^n^rale,
1885, p. liO). From 24 Feb., 1878, there was at
the extreme east of the Congo State a pro-vicariate
Apostol'c for the Upper Congo. This became, in
1880, a vicariate, and was served by the White
Fathers of Cardinal Lavigerie (q. v.). But after the
Mission of the White Fathers, Tanganyika
establishment of the new State in 1885, Leopold per- suaded the Holy See to reserve the Catholic evangel- ization of his African dominion to Belgian mission- aries. Cardinal Lavigerie did not, however, abandon this post of honour, but founded a Belgian branch of his institute, which, by a pontifical Brief of 30 Dec, 1886, was placed in charge of the Vicariate of the Upper Congo. Its activities are confined to the Independent State; vicar Apostolic, Mgr. Roelens. An African sem- inary was founded at Louvain (1886) and placed under the direction of Canon Forget, professor of theology at the University of Louvain. The difficulties attached to such an enterprise soon made themselves felt, and it was found impossible to carry it on without the help of some religious institute. The aid of the young but already flourishing Congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Mary (known also as the Con- gregation of Scheiitveld, after the mother-house at Scheutveld near Brussels) had already lieen sought in 1876, and they were again appeaU^il to in 1884. Though the missions in China and Mongolia absorbed nearly all their strength, they determined (1880-87) to make an effort to assist the Congo. In 1888 they took over the African .seminary, and on 11 May of the same year Leo XIII created the immense Vicariate Apostolic (present incumbent, Mgr. Van Ronsl^) of the Belgian Congo, which he committed to their care. On 20 July, 1001, a part of this territory was detached, though still left in their charge, to form the new Pre- fecture .\postolic of the Upper Kassai; pref. Ap. (1908) is Mgr. Henri Carabier.
Towards the end of 1891 the Belgian Jesuits, already overburdened with two foreign missions, undertook to send a body of missionaries to the Congo. They were placed in charge of a portion of the Belgian Congo vicariate ; on 31 Jan., 1903, their mission became the I'rt'fecture .Vpostolic of Kwango. The superior and pref. Ap. (1908) is the Rev. Julian Banckaert, S. J. There are also a prefecture Apostolic: Welle, founded 12 May, 1898, Preraonstratensians of the Abbey of
