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 ...

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 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 land for the church is being provided by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa 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 soverei ...

in December 2008, and will cover 9,000 square meters. 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

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 * C ...

. 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,

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 Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, 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 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

. 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,

. His arrival at Sakhir Air Base in Awali 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 Hak ...

, 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 conside ...

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 matches. ...

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 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 home to a very di ...

. The visit concluded with a farewell ceremony at Sakhir Air Base in Awali before the Pope departed by airplane to

. .

References

Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula {{Catholic-Church-by-country-stub

21st century

Papal Visit

See also

References