The Catholic Church in Bahrain is part of the worldwide
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, under the spiritual leadership of the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
The first Catholic church built in the Persian Gulf in modern times was constructed in 1939 on land given by the Emir of Bahrain.
Sacred Heart Church serves approximately 140,000 Catholics.
Bahrain established diplomatic relations with the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
in 1999.
The
Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia located in
Awali
Awali is a small municipality located approximately in the centre of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a small island in the Persian Gulf. Founded in the 1930s by the Bahrain Petroleum Company, it is populated mostly by workers of various nationalities ...
is the largest
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
. The land for the church is being provided by
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999.
He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...
due to a request from
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
in December 2008, and will cover 9,000 square meters.
Bahrain forms part of the
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia
The Apostolic Vicariate (or Vicariate Apostolic) of Northern Arabia ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Arabiæ Septentrionalis Arabic: النيابة الرسولية العربية الشمالية) is a Catholic apostolic vicariate (exempt pre-dioces ...
. The seat of the vicariate is in
Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia. The Vicar Apostolic Bishop is
Aldo Berardi
Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T. (born 30 September 1963) is a French Catholic bishop. He is the vicar apostolic of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. On 28 January 2023, Msgr. Berardi was appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Vicariate Apostoli ...
.
21st century
Protests from various
Islamist groups have occurred over the donation of land for the construction of the
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
.
Although Bahrain does have a small native Christian population, most Catholics in Bahrain are expatriates from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, and Western countries.
Many parishioners cross the border from
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, where there are no churches and practising Christianity publicly is forbidden.
Churches in the country include
Sacred Heart Church, Manama, and Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Awali in central Bahrain.
Also, there are two communities for Eastern Catholic churches, the
Syro Malankara Catholic Community and
Syro-Malabar
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
Society.
Papal Visit
The Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to the
Kingdom of Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ad ...
was a historic visit made by Pope Francis to
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
from November 3 to November 6, 2022, on the occasion of the "
Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence." This trip was the first-ever papal visit to the
Kingdom of Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ad ...
.
The four-day visit included several important events, beginning on November 3 with the departure of the Pope from Rome's
Fiumicino International Airport to
Awali
Awali is a small municipality located approximately in the centre of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a small island in the Persian Gulf. Founded in the 1930s by the Bahrain Petroleum Company, it is populated mostly by workers of various nationalities ...
,
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. His arrival at
Sakhir Air Base in
Awali
Awali is a small municipality located approximately in the centre of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a small island in the Persian Gulf. Founded in the 1930s by the Bahrain Petroleum Company, it is populated mostly by workers of various nationalities ...
was greeted with an official welcome ceremony. From there, he proceeded to
Sakhir Royal Palace, where he paid a courtesy visit to His Majesty the
King of Bahrain
The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain ( ar, ملك مملكة البحرين) is the monarch and head of state of Bahrain. The House of Khalifa has been the ruling family since 1783. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of ha ...
, followed by a welcome ceremony and a meeting with the authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps.
On November 4, the Pope presided over the closing ceremony of the "
Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence" at Al-Fida' Square of
Sakhir Royal Palace. He then had a private meeting with the
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar The Grand Imam of al-Azhar ( ar, الإمام الأكبر), also known as Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar ( ar, links=no, شيخ الأزهر الشريف), currently Ahmed el-Tayeb, is a prestigious and a prominent official title in Egypt. He is consid ...
in the Papal Residence within the grounds of
Sakhir Royal Palace, followed by a meeting with the members of the Muslim Council of Elders at the Mosque of
Sakhir Royal Palace. Later in the day, he participated in an ecumenical meeting and prayer for peace at
Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral.
On November 5, the Pope celebrated Holy Mass at
Bahrain National Stadium
Bahrain National Stadium ( ar, ستاد البحرين الوطني; transliterated: Stād al-Bahrayn al-Watanī) is the national stadium of Bahrain, located in Riffa. It can accommodate 24,000 spectators and is used mostly for football
Fo ...
and held a meeting with the youth at
Sacred Heart School.
The final day of the visit, November 6, included a prayer meeting and Angelus with bishops, priests, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers at
Sacred Heart Church in
Manama
Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...
. The visit concluded with a farewell ceremony at
Sakhir Air Base in
Awali
Awali is a small municipality located approximately in the centre of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a small island in the Persian Gulf. Founded in the 1930s by the Bahrain Petroleum Company, it is populated mostly by workers of various nationalities ...
before the Pope departed by airplane to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
.
See also
*
Catholic Church by country
The Catholic Church is "the Catholic Communion of Churches, both Roman and Eastern, or Oriental, that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome (the pope)." The church is also known by members as the People of God, the Body of Christ, the " ...
*
Christianity in Bahrain
Christians in Bahrain make up about 14.5% of the population. Bahrain has had a native Christian community for many centuries, with the first recorded presence dating back to the 12th century. Expatriate Christians, however, make up the majority of ...
*
Religion in Bahrain
The Constitution of Bahrain states that Islam is the official religion and that '' Shari'a'' (Islamic law) is a principal source for legislation. ''Article 22'' of the Constitution provides for freedom of conscience, the inviolability of worship, ...
*
Sacred Heart Church (Manama, Bahrain)
*
The Cathedral of our Lady of Arabia, Bahrain
References
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia
Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula
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