Timely, just as Holy Week begins. One of my readers reminded me of this development:
"DOHA, QATAR—Thousands of worshippers gathered in a long and emotional ceremony on Saturday for the consecration of the first Roman Catholic Church in the Gulf state of Qatar amid warnings by Western embassies to their nationals to be vigilant." (AP photo below)
"Cardinal Ivan Dias presented the parish with a chalice given by Pope Benedict XVI during the five-hour Mass, ending decades of underground worship in this Sunni Muslim and deeply conservative country."
"....The 2,700-seat church was built on land donated by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and five other buildings are under construction nearby for other Christian denominations in this oil-rich state where over 70 percent of the population are expatriate workers."
"Some 150,000 Christians of a denominations live in the emirate, over 90 percent of them Catholic workers from the Philippines, India and other Asian nations. The church of the Our Lady of the Rosary will be staffed by Filipino priest Tomasito Veneracion."
Although the emir favored a church in Qatar, it's unpopular among some of his countrymen:
"The American, British and Australian embassies warned the church might be a target of attack and urged their nationals to remain cautious after an Islamic militant website referred to the opening of the church."
Qatar sounds like an interesting place:
"Qatar is a close ally of Washington and hosts the command headquarters for US forces in the Middle East."
"Qatar follows the rigorous Wahabi teachings of Sunni Islam, and like neighboring Saudi Arabia had not previously authorized Christians to practice their faith openly."
"....the opening of the church on Saturday appeared to be another sign of Qatar’s efforts to open up to the West as it seeks a bid for the summer Olympic Games in 2016."
Out of a total population of 900,000 in Qatar, only 200,000 are native Qataris, the remainder are immigrant workers and their families.
The Christians must still adhere to "dhimmi" laws with their new church, which has no steeple, no cross, not even a sign:
"Some 3,000 worshippers were packed inside the new domed building, which does not expose religious symbols such as a cross or a bell tower out of respect for the local
sensitivities."
Imagine, if you will, if the new mosque in Boston could not erect a minaret "out of respect for the local sensitivities." But that is not the case here, our society allows all religions to worship openly and with no hindrances. Dhimmi Watch has the specifics on Islamic laws which forbids churches from ringing bells, displaying crosses or building a church taller than a mosque.
But hey, it's a start! The congregation must be delighted to openly celebrate Easter this year. May God bless them all and keep them safe. And may there be many more churches in Qatar.
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