DOHA, Qatar, APRIL 3, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The construction of the first Catholic church to be built in Qatar since the seventh century is set for completion by year-end.
The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary will stand in the south of the capital city, which overlooks the Persian Gulf.
According to the future pastor, Father Tom Veneration, there are more than 100,000 Catholics in Qatar, all of them foreigners since the government grants freedom of religion to Christians, but prevents conversions, AsiaNews reported.
"We grow in number each year," the priest said, "but we cannot do any type of apostolate."
Qatar and the Holy See re-established diplomatic relations in 2002, an agreement which foresaw granting land to Christian communities.
"After over 20 years of making formal requests to the authorities, the government has finally granted the Christian confessions land to build their own places of worship," Father Veneration said. "The Catholic community was given the largest piece of land, because our presence here goes back down the centuries and also because our community is the largest."
The priest, who has been working in Doha for three years, is originally from the Philippines.
"Up till now," he said, "we have been gathering to pray in our homes. … Together with all the Catholics who live here, I am really delighted at the idea that soon we will be able to celebrate Mass in a true church, sign of our presence in this land."
Qatar has a domestic population of about 885,000, of whom 95% are Muslims.
AsiaNews explained that for almost 14 centuries Qatar's government opposed the construction of Christian churches under pressure from the Wahhabi, a puritanical Muslim sect, who compose a majority in the country
Code: ZE07040313
Date: 2007-04-03