Africa
Africa was viewed by Europeans as culturally inferior, and there were few serious attempts at conversion. Some were baptized, but these converts were poorly instructed, and as a result, when missionary influence waned, these converts reverted to old customs. Most of the missionary activity came sporadically from the Portuguese outposts along the coast, and the goal was often political: convert rulers to be allies of the Portuguese. This often sparked backlash from the native Africans. Unlike Xavier and Ricci, who had made significant efforts to learn the native cultures and languages, the missionaries in Africa usually made no attempts to respect the local customs. There was, however, a successful mission in the kingdom of the Congo, but eventually the Christian community there died out.