Filipino Catholic community welcomes opening of Arabian Gulf's largest Catholic cathedral in Bahrain
Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, the newest and largest cathedral in the Arabian Gulf, was inaugurated in early December in a ceremony led by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, son and Personal Representative of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and His Excellency Dr. Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairman of the Board of Trustees of King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, in the presence of the members of the Royal family, senior government officials, Diplomatic Corps, and Vatican officials led by His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop Eugene M. Nugent, apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, Bishop Paul Hinder, clergy, and other guests.
The cathedral is located in Awali, a small municipality about 16 miles south of the Bahraini capital, Manama, in a 9,000-square-meter plot of land donated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa eight years ago. It is topped with an octagonal dome, and has several tiers of seating, which can seat at least 2,300 people. Two chapels and an 800-capacity auditorium are part of the complex. Its gray walls are made with pietra serena stone that is only produced in Florence, Italy. The walls feature a series of icons portraying scenes such as the death and resurrection of Jesus, crafted with materials including 24-carat gold shipped from Italy.
The new cathedral benefits the Catholic community of Bahrain, which is mainly composed of migrant workers from the Philippines and India. It is a welcome addition to the first Catholic Church in the Gulf, the Sacred Heart church in Manama, which opened in 1939.
The cathedral is located in Awali, a small municipality about 16 miles south of the Bahraini capital, Manama, in a 9,000-square-meter plot of land donated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, head of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, consecrated the Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Bahrain in a special mass on Dec. 10.
Various Church leaders in Bahrain praised His Majesty the King’s special role in establishing and strengthening dialogue and understanding among different cultures and religions, as well as, in spreading the values of human fraternity and coexistence, and highlighted that the opening of the new cathedral means a lot to the various sects and religions coexisting in Bahrain, which according to them, is an oasis of religious tolerance and respect.
Many members of the Filipino community who are also devout Catholics rejoiced at the completion of the Cathedral and expressed their appreciation to Bahrain’s leadership for allowing the Church to thrive in Bahrain’s open and inclusive society.
(Manama PE photo)