{{short description|none}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Catholic Church by country}} 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.<ref name="manama">{{cite web |date=14 October 2012 |title=Plan for Catholic church makes waves in Bahrain |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/plan-for-catholic-church-makes-waves-in-bahrain// |access-date=11 February 2013 |publisher=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> Sacred Heart Church serves approximately 140,000 Catholics.<ref name="awali"/> Bahrain established diplomatic relations with the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] in 1999.<ref name="establish">{{cite web |author=Habib Toumi|title=Bahrain will donate land to build new Catholic church|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-will-donate-land-to-build-new-catholic-church-1.150537|publisher=The Gulf News|access-date=11 February 2013|date=26 December 2008}}</ref>
The [[Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia]] located in [[Awali]] is the largest [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] 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]] in December 2008, and will cover 9,000 square meters.<ref name="manama" />
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 [[Christian]].<ref>[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/bahrain US State Dept 2022 report]</ref> Almost 10% of the country's population is Catholic,<ref>[https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=18c The ARDA website, Retrieved 2023-08-01]</ref> making it the largest Christian denomination in Bahrain.
Protests from various [[Islamist]] groups have occurred over the donation of land for the construction of the church.<ref name="manama"/> Although Bahrain does have a small native Christian population, most Catholics in Bahrain are expatriates from [[India]], the [[Philippines]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Lebanon]], and Western countries.<ref name="establish"/> Many parishioners cross the border from [[Saudi Arabia]], where there are no churches and practising Christianity publicly is forbidden.<ref name="establish"/> Churches in the country include [[Sacred Heart Church, Manama]], and Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Awali in central Bahrain.<ref name="awali">{{cite web|author=Habib Toumi |title=Bahrain is home to 19 churches|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-is-home-to-19-churches-1.932485|publisher=Gulf News |access-date=11 February 2013|date=17 November 2011}}</ref> Also, there are two communities for Eastern Catholic churches, the [[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church|Syro Malankara]] Catholic Community and [[Syro-Malabar Church|Syro-Malabar]] Society.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SMCC - Bahrain - Syro Malankara Catholic Community|url=http://www.smccbahrain.com/|access-date=26 October 2021|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Entrance|url=http://symsbahrain.com/|url-status=live|access-date=26 October 2021|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730003800/http://symsbahrain.com/|archive-date=30 July 2012}}</ref>
== Papal visit in 2022 == [[Pope Francis]] visited the [[Bahrain|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Programme of the Visit of Pope Francis to Bahrain |url=https://bahrainpapalvisit.org/programme |access-date=17 February 2023}}</ref> The four-day visit included several important events, beginning on 3 November with the departure of the Pope from Rome's [[Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport|Fiumicino International Airport]] to [[Awali]], Bahrain. His arrival at [[Sakhir Air Base]] in Awali was greeted with an official welcome ceremony. From there, he proceeded to [[Al-Sakhir Palace|Sakhir Royal Palace]], where he paid a courtesy visit to the king, followed by a welcome ceremony and a meeting with the authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps.
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 [[Grand Imam of al-Azhar]] 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 [[Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia|Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral.]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/3/pope-francis-urges-respect-for-human-rights-during-bahrain-trip|title= Pope Francis arrives in Bahrain on first trip to the Gulf nation|date= 3 November 2022|website= Aljazeera.com|archiveurl= https://archive.today/20221105014225/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/3/pope-francis-urges-respect-for-human-rights-during-bahrain-trip|archivedate= 5 November 2022|url-status= live|df= dmy-all|quote= The pope was welcomed by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.}}</ref>
On 5 November, the Pope celebrated Holy Mass at [[Bahrain National Stadium]] and held a meeting with the youth at [[Sacred Heart School (Bahrain)|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]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/bahrain/highlights-of-the-pope-franciss-address-at-the-bahrain-forum-for-dialogue-1.1667570634114|title= Highlights of the Pope Francis's address at the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue|date= 4 November 2022|website= Gulf News.com|archiveurl= https://archive.today/20221105013633/https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/bahrain/highlights-of-the-pope-franciss-address-at-the-bahrain-forum-for-dialogue-1.1667570634114|archivedate= 5 November 2022|url-status= live|df= dmy-all|quote= 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.}}</ref>
== See also == *[[Catholic Church by country]] *[[Christianity in Bahrain]] *[[Religion in Bahrain]] *[[Sacred Heart Church (Manama, Bahrain)]] *[[Our Lady of Arabia|The Cathedral of our Lady of Arabia, Bahrain]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia}} {{Demographics of Bahrain}} {{Asia topic|Catholic Church in|groupstyle=background-color:gold|titlestyle=background-color:gold}} {{Asia topic|Christianity in}}
[[Category:Catholic Church in Bahrain| ]] [[Category:Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia]] [[Category:Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula]]