The largest Catholic church in the Gulf region was inaugurated this week in Bahrain, a prime example of religious diversity in the Middle East.
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The Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral can hold over 2,000 worshippers and sits on roughly 97,000 feet of land donated by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
In an interview with i24NEWS, H.E. Dr. Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa noted that it is not unusual for the kingdom to provide land to the Catholic community in Bahrain.
"The first Catholic church was built about 81 years ago," he said.
Bahrain's constitution provides for the freedom of religion, as the kingdom hosts mosques, churches, a 200-year-old Hindu temple, and a synagogue.
According to the Pew Research Center, there are over two million Catholics in the Middle East.
In Bahrain, most of the roughly 80,000 Catholics are expatriates from Asia, India, and Western countries.
Khalid bin Khalifa, the chairman of the Board of Trustees for the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, added that freedom of religion is not new for the kingdom.
"It has been here for over 200 years. All the leaders… respected all the religions."
In the Gulf state, the communities of different religious views share a respect for each other as they interact daily.
The chairman added that Bahrainis are brought up to "respect the religions of others."
"All the communities – Jewish, Muslim, Sunni, Shia, Hindu, Christian – are backed. This is what makes Bahrain unique. We all live in a very small area… Bahrainis are very well-educated about other religions," he said.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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