(Manama) Sur fond de minarets de mosquées et d’un champ de pétrole désertique, Bahreïn a annoncé jeudi avoir inauguré la plus grande église catholique de la péninsule arabique.
La cathédrale Notre-Dame d’Arabie, d’une capacité de 2300 personnes, doit accueillir la petite communauté catholique du pays à majorité musulmane du Golfe.
« Nous sommes heureux […] It will be for the spiritual needs and spiritual health of all people, ”Bahrain-based priest Father Charbel Fayad told AFP.
PHOTO MAZEN MAHDI, AFP
The Notre-Dame d’Arabie Cathedral during its inauguration in Awali, south of Manama, the Bahraini capital, on December 9, 2021.
The modern-style church, with two levels of seating, is about a mile from a large mosque and a short walk from an oil well, in the south of the country.
The church, which cost more than 14.5 million US dollars, will serve as a pastoral center throughout the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia which covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
According to Vatican estimates, Bahrain has some 80,000 Catholics, mainly workers from Asia (India, Philippines).
“Christians and non-Christians alike are children of God and they are all welcome here in this beautiful church,” said Father Charbel. Last week King Hamed ben Issa Al Khalifa invited Pope Francis to visit Bahrain.