Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 28 December 1911, Page 2646

Notes

The Church in Tripoli

As interest is centred at the moment on Tripoli it is opportune to give the following details as to the state of the Church in the North African PrefectureAt present the Prefecture Apostolic is served by 23 Franciscan monks of the Leonine Union, the Prefect being the Right Rev. Guiseppi Rossetti. The city of ZSS°? 'fw G i offi T cia ! residence of the Prefect, and counts 4400 faithful. It has a flourishing Marist College, and an institution for young girls, conducted by the Sisters qnnn n £**} 1 9 Um /' with 35 P u P ils - Ther e are 3000 Catholics of the Greek Church, 10,000 Jews- and about 30,000 Turks and Arabs. 'Among the other maritime cities of the country, Derna, the Dardanis of the ancients, with 12,000 inhabitants, possesses a flourishing mission. In Benghazi, built on the ruins of the ancient Berenici, are several hundreds of Catholics, with boys' and girls' schools, directed by monks and nuns and there are important missions also in Homtis, the celebrated Septis Magna of the ancients, Mescia, and other towns. The Prefecture at Tripol has erected a model hospital, and established six free dispensaries In Mescia and other cities are orphanages Ihe Ottoman and Arab population avoid the Christians, and the only ground on which the Christian population meet them are the charitable institutions and works of mercy, of which the Catholics carry on the work and bear all the cost. y