RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Missions to the Heathen
em Victoria Nyanza alone, 39,586 Roman Catholics and 166,150 catechumens. The vicariate of Unianyembe in German East Africa is under the White Fathers, with 1,133 converts, 6,755 catechumens. For East Africa the totals are: 63 stations (128), 162 priests (239), 89 lay brothers, 64 sisters 107 schools (227), 7,771 scholars (33,050), among these 3,578 girls (11,852), 69,288 adherents (46,639 Christians).
The vicariate of the Galla regions is bounded by
that of North Zanzibar. The Capuchins have been
at work there since 1846. The vicar
4. North h^ h*8 sea* m Harrar, and reports one Africa, seminary, 7,000 converts. The pre-
African fecture of Erythraea, in the Italian
Islands, protectorate, was transferred in 1894 to the Capuchins as a branch of the vicariate of Abyssinia. There the Lazarists have worked since 1838 under serious difficulties. During the conflicts with the Italians, the mission was interrupted. The Ethiopic ritual is permitted here.
After the separation from Erythrjea (with 7,900 adherents) there remain 4,000 converts; formerly 30,000 were counted. The vicariate of Egypt has a Roman Catholic population of 78,580, of whom 56,000 follow the Coptic rite and 20,500 the Latin. There are numerous stations of various congregations. The vicariate of the Nile Delta is especially in the charge of the Lyons mission. The vicariate of Tripoli has been since 1654 a missionary field of the Franciscans, and reports 7,450 adherents. In the vicariate of Morocco the Franciscans were active in the Middle Ages. The mission was renewed in 1859, and reports 6,260 converts.
In the prefecture of the Sudan Austrian priests began the work about the middle of the last century on the White Nile; the task was transferred to the missionary seminary of Verona in 1872. Because of the war with the Mahdi the work was abandoned for a.long period, and it was resumed only in 1898 with the occupation of Omdurman. The vicariate of the Sahara has been occupied since 1868 by the White Fathers, whose work is largely preparatory. Of all the Roman Catholic missions in North Africa only the last-named and those to the Galla can be looked upon as real missions (among non-Christians). On this basis there are reckoned 15 stations, 45 priests, 14 lay brothers, 24 sisters, 18 schools, 574 scholars, 175 girls (?), and 7,000 converts. The Missiones Catholicce report 108,930 of whom the greater part by far did not come from heathenism but represent those drawn from other Christian confessions and their descendants. In the African Islands the prefecture of Annobom, Corisko and Fernando Po is worked by Spanish missionaries who report 3,400 converts. The vicariate of North Madagascar is occupied by priests of the Holy Spirit. The vicariate of South Madagascar affords work for the Lazarists. In the vicariate of Central Madagascar the Jesuits have worked for a long time as competitors of the Evangelical mission. As early as 1886, 84,000 Roman Catholics were reported there, later only 41,135. Since the French conquest the communities have grown considerably, as the Evangelical Christians, threatened with severe pressure from without, were led in great numbers to Catholicism. The last statement of the Missiones Catholicae gives 61,500 communicants and 258,956 catechumens. Recently the civil authorities have given less aid to the mission. In the prefecture of Mayotta Nossibe" and the Comores there are many colored Christians from
Reunion, who can not be regarded as fruits of the mission of to-day and are therefore not counted here.
The totals for the islands are: 28 stations (85), 90 priests (88), 82 lay brothers, 61 sisters, 863 schools (2,247), 148,503 scholars (136,980), among these 68,509 girls (34,201), 64^900 Roman Catholics (138,216); and for all Africa 328 stations (1,070), 833 priests (1,275 ordained Evangelical missionaries), 13 native priests* (890), 796 lay brothers, 927 sisters, 1,382 schools (4,718); 187,105 scholars (307,357), among these 80,981 girls (98,766), 242,136 Roman Catholics (699,899).
2. Asia: The Roman Catholic mission in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, Arabia, and Persia (with 145,580 adherents) is here omitted on the ground that the work in these countries is directed only to the winning of Christians from other confessions (Syrians, Chaldeans, Armenians) , as is done in part by the Protestants who work there.
With the Portuguese colonization in the sixteenth century, a mission of the Franciscans and Dominicans was immediately combined, but proved unsuccessful. When, in 1534, the bishopric of Goa
was erected but few communities 1. Eastern existed in spite of the efforts of the and South- Inquisition. Francis Xavier (q.v.), era India. who arrived here in 1542 with two
Jesuits, worked chiefly among the degenerate and coarsely immoral white population. It was only in the southeastern region of India, Tinnevelli, whither the Portuguese had gone to give aid against the Mohammedan conquerors, that Xavier succeeded in baptizing great numbers of heathen from among the lower castes — 10,000 in one month. He had similar success in Madura and Travancore. It is, however, characteristic that Xavier left this field at the end of a few years in order to labor elsewhere, and begged the king of Portugal to transfer the work of spreading Christianity to the secular officials. Other Jesuits came, however, but their work led to the planting of only the outward forms of the Roman Catholic Church. When Goa was raised to an archbishopric in 1557, 300,000 Catholics were counted in the Portuguese colony, and this number was notably increased in 1599 by the incorporation of a number of Christians of St. Thomas of Melapur (see Nestoeians). Up to this time the converts had come from the lowest castes; but after 1606, Roberto de' Nobili was able to bring the Brahmins into the Roman Catholic Church. As was the case with Hindu founders of sects, he gained followers (30,000). It is true that his policy of compromise was condemned by the pope, but it was abandoned only after a long resistance on the part of the Jesuits. In northern India they gained influence with the Grand Mogul Akbar, but had no permanent success. With the founding of the Propaganda (q. v.), the work was taken up in many other parts of India and to a certain extent by other congregations (Carmelites and Capuchins). In the eighteenth century, the political conditions were unfavorable to the mission. With the suppression of the order of Jesus it nearly died out and there were few conversions. The masses of the Roman Catholics were neglected and constituted only a caste among the others. In the nineteenth century the mission was
* The statistics appear to be incomplete.
Missions to the Heathen