Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Arabia (Credit : Irvin calicut, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)
The Catholic faith in Arabia is primarily a "migrant church," composed mainly of expatriate workers from Asia, Africa, and Europe, practicing discreetly under local restrictions, especially in conservative Saudi Arabia, while having more open (though still regulated) presence in the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain, organized under Apostolic Vicariates like North and South Arabia, with major communities relying on private gatherings and online resources for faith expression, as public proselytizing and open church building are generally prohibited outside specific areas.
Origins And Presence :
The first Vicariate in Arabia was established in 1888 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Aden and entrusted to the Capuchin Franciscans of Lyons, France. A year later the name of the Vicariate was changed to the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia and covered the whole Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. For almost a hundred years the Apostolic Vicar of Arabia lived in Aden, Yemen. On 1st January 1974, St. Joseph's Church in Abu Dhabi became the See of the bishop.
Since 1916, the Vicariate was entrusted to the Capuchins of the Tuscan Province in Florence, Italy. They provided the majority of the priests as long as they had vocations. However, after the discovery of oil, the number of Catholics grew so fast that many priests from other Capuchin provinces, especially in Asia and the Middle East, were asked to send missionaries.
Division into two Vicariates :
On 31st May 2011, with a decree by the Congregation of the Evangelisation of Peoples, the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia was divided into two: the Vicariates of Northern Arabia (Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, with residence of the Bishop in Awali, Bahrain) and Southern Arabia (United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen with the residence of the Bishop in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates).
At the same time, with the Ius Commissionis, the responsibility to find mission personnel for Northern and Southern Vicariates was given to the General Superior of the Capuchin Franciscan Order, with most of the priests serving in the Vicariate being Capuchin Friars. There are also priests from the Diocesan clergy, the Carmelite Order, the Salesians, the Trinitarians, the Incarnate Word, and other Rites.
Historically, Kuwait was once part of the Vicariate of Arabia. In 1953, it was separated and established as an independent Apostolic Prefecture, which was elevated to the status of an Apostolic Vicariate in 1954. The two Vicariates of the Arabian Peninsula were reorganized after nearly 58 years.
As part of the transition, the two Apostolic Vicars made a joint pastoral visit to Bahrain and Qatar in May 2011, prior to the formal transfer of territories.
First Papal Visit :
Pope Francis made history with the first papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula in February 2019, visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for interfaith dialogue, culminating in the first Papal Mass held there. This landmark trip, focused on unity and religious freedom, included meetings with Muslim leaders, signing a document on human fraternity, and celebrating mass for 135,000 Catholics, significantly boosting Christian-Muslim relations in the region.
First Minor Basilica :
On June 28, 2025, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV has decided to elevate the Church of Our Lady of Arabia, the oldest church in the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, to a Minor Basilica. It was the first church in the Arabian Peninsula to be raised to the status of Minor Basilica.
Our Lady of Arabia acts as the Patroness of both the Northern and Southern Vicariates.
- Article by Catholic Time Staff
Related reading :
.png)
.png)
.png)