Paul Keenan
Land will be site of new cathedral
Pope Francis has sent a message of thanks to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain for the monarch’s gift of land to the country’s Catholic community for the construction of a new cathedral.
"With the donation of a new place of worship, His Majesty has shown that the Kingdom of Bahrain welcomes people of various nations and ethnic groups and religion, which are brothers and sisters in one human family, equal in dignity and worthy of esteem and respect,” the Pope’s message stated.
Bahrain now stands as a leader in terms of religious tolerance in the Arabian Peninsula as it’s permission for the cathedral’s construction makes it the first country of the region to allow for such a building since 1939.
The new cathedral will be dedicated to Our Lady of Arabia, the patron saint of the Arabian Peninsula.
