Catholic Church in Bahrain
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The Catholic Church in Bahrain is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The first Catholic church built in the Persian Gulf in modern times was constructed in 1939 on land given by the Emir of Bahrain.[1] Sacred Heart Church serves approximately 140,000 Catholics.[2] Bahrain established diplomatic relations with the Vatican in 1999.[3]
The
Bahrain forms part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. The seat of the vicariate is in Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia. The Vicar Apostolic Bishop is Aldo Berardi.
21st century
In 2022, approximately 12% of the population were
making it the largest Christian denomination in Bahrain.Protests from various
Papal visit in 2022
Pope Francis visited the Kingdom of Bahrain from 3 to 6 November 2022, on the occasion of the "Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence", the first papal visit to Bahrain.[8] The four-day visit included several important events, beginning on 3 November with the departure of the Pope from Rome's
On 4 November, 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
On 5 November, the Pope celebrated Holy Mass at Bahrain National Stadium and held a meeting with the youth at Sacred Heart School.
The final day of the visit, 6 November, included a prayer meeting and Angelus with bishops, priests, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers at Sacred Heart Church in Manama. The visit concluded with a farewell ceremony at Sakhir Air Base in Awali before the Pope departed by air to Rome.[10]
See also
- Catholic Church by country
- Christianity in Bahrain
- Religion in Bahrain
- Sacred Heart Church (Manama, Bahrain)
- The Cathedral of our Lady of Arabia, Bahrain
References
- ^ a b c "Plan for Catholic church makes waves in Bahrain". Associated Press. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ a b Habib Toumi (17 November 2011). "Bahrain is home to 19 churches". Gulf News. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ a b c Habib Toumi (26 December 2008). "Bahrain will donate land to build new Catholic church". The Gulf News. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ US State Dept 2022 report
- ^ The ARDA website, Retrieved 2023-08-01
- ^ "SMCC - Bahrain - Syro Malankara Catholic Community". Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ "Entrance". Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ "Programme of the Visit of Pope Francis to Bahrain". Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Pope Francis arrives in Bahrain on first trip to the Gulf nation". Aljazeera.com. 3 November 2022. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022.
The pope was welcomed by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
- ^ "Highlights of the Pope Francis's address at the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue". Gulf News.com. 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022.
Pope Francis attends the closing session of the "Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and west for Human Coexistence", at the Al Fida square at the Sakhir Royal palace, in Bahrain, on Friday, November 4, 2022.