Conversion to Catholicism

What is often suggested about the arrival of Christianity ?

it was a part of a colonisation process by Portuguese

What do most historians believe about the original view of establishment of Christianity in Kongo ?

they disagree as suggesting that the Portuguese forced Christianity , disregarding the active role and decisions made by the manikongos and mwissikongo

what does Syncretism mean ?

mixing of religions

when did the expedition fleet arrive in Kongo ? Who led it ?

1482 - Diogo Cao

who did Diogo Cao’s fleet return to Portugal with ?

ambassadors from Kongo dispatched by the Manikongo 

Who dispatched the ambassadors to Portugal ?

Nzinga a Nkuwu

What occurred after the ambassadors returned to Kongo two years later ?

• diplomatic ties established and conversion began to take place 

• Nzinga a Nkuwu baptised took the name Joao I 

• members of mwissikongo dispatched to Portugal to learn the Catholic doctrine

political reasons

who resisted the conversion process ?

conservative adherents

Why was there reluctance to convert ?

• monogamy encouraged (Catholics believed polygamy as lustful and sinful) but polygamy necessary to kongolese society 

why was polygamy important to Kongo?

connected to the system of state formations through marriage and alliances of the Kanda 

What happened after Nzinga a Nkuwu’s death in 1506?

conflict developed between the conservatives and Catholics led by Afonso I 

In 1509 , Afonso’s triumph meant what ?

Catholicism was the state cult for the ruling mwissikongo

Politically , how did the religious change become important for Kongo ?

• mwissikongo used Catholicism and the access it gave to Portugal as a way of centralising power 

• Catholic power meant political power which was used by the Manikongo to establish sovereignty and resist foreign domination

what did the reign of Afonso I consolidate?

Christianity of the elites - he was loyal to the faith

After Afonso’s death , what two monarchs ascended the throne which changed kongolese structure ?

• 1st was Pedro I (Nkanga a Mvemba) in 1542/43

• 2nd was Diogo I (Nkumbi a Mpundi )in 1545

who arrived in 1548 that wasnt received well ?

jesuit missionaries

why were the Jesuits unpopular ?

they weren’t tolerant of the Syncretism of catholics with existing Kongo religions 

led to conflict with the Manikongo 

what were  other missionaries and priests dispatched to Kongo involved in ?

• slave trade 

• making personal financial gain -

• Manikongo repeatedly complained 

what event meant priests could hold a seat at the electoral council for the Manikongo ?

the restoration of Alvaro I following the Jaga invasions in 1568 

why was there a separation between political and religious practices of Catholicism ?

• politically , the church had choice over Christian successors and structuring the mixed Kongo-christian belief structure of the mwissikongo

• however , Kanda’s retained kongolese religious practices and didn’t involve Catholicism into life

what was reported in the annual letter of the Jesuits in 1603?

kongolese “were completely finished with good customs and are only Christians by name”

How were missionary efforts revived and what was the response?

• from the Vatican through the Capuchins from 1640s onward 

• Capuchins were unsuccessful as Kongo religion held strong 

what two factors were responsible for the conversion of the mwissikongo to Christianity ?

• spiritual/religious

• political

why politically was the conversion important to the mwissikongo ?

• Mwissikongo’s status as original outsiders placed limits on their religious power

• the priestly lineage whose leader was known as the manivunda (manicabunda) meant that manikongos had to marry into to cement their religious authority .

• adopting a new religion meant that they could control access to the church and increase power and sidestep previous limitations

Why religiously were there strong reasons for conversion ?

• arrival of Portuguese had strong ritual significance 

Kanda of the North , white albinos (ndundu) were seen as reincarnations of ancestors 

Kanda in the south seen as spirits of the water 

-White Portuguese welcomed as spiritual entities 

• key part of Kongo cosmology was the belief in the intersection of the living and dead 

Christian “cult” form of engaging with spiritual realm 

• kongolese saw no contradiction adopting two practices as Syncretism was common in Kongo religions