A new church has opened inaugurated in Al Ruwais, following the recent Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia inauguration last December in Bahrain.
Newsroom (22/12/2021 4:38 PM, Gaudium Press) On December 16, a new Catholic church dedicated to St. John the Baptist was inaugurated in Al Ruwais, 240 kilometres west from Abu Dhabi City. The event brought to 9 the total of Catholic places of worship in the United Arab Emirates. The country is a federal monarchy with ca. 10 million inhabitants.
“With the construction of the new church,” informed Bishop Paul Hinder, Vicar Apostolic of South Arabia, “there are now nine Catholic parishes in the United Arab Emirates with their places of worship. They will soon be joined by a church being built in the port city of Jebel Ali, intended primarily for Arabic-speaking Maronites Catholics.
This new church will serve about 2,500 people, mostly Filipinos and Indians from Kerala, Koreans and other ethnic groups.
The inauguration of this church follows the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia last December 10 in Bahrain, also part of the vicariate headed by Bishop Hinder.
With files from Aica
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
