CT News
Jan. 18, 2026 : On Friday, January 16, the Holy See Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, presided at Mass to celebrate the elevation of Kuwait's first church Our Lady of Arabia to the status of Minor Basilica. The elevation is a historic first for the Arabian Peninsula.
In his homily, delivered to the faithful, Cardinal Parolin described the occasion as “truly historic,” not only “for the Church in Kuwait, but for the Church throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula.”
“Built upon the sands of the desert,” the Cardinal said, “this Basilica reminds us that Mary herself once found refuge in those same desert lands, where she cared for, raised, and safeguarded the one Mediator between God and the human family, Jesus Christ.”
Significanca of the title
This is the first time such a title has been granted to a church in the Arabian Peninsula, highlighting the historical, spiritual, and pastoral importance of Our Lady of Arabia and giving it broader symbolic significance for the faithful of the region.
The basilica is called to serve as a model of prayer, liturgical life, and ecclesial communion, and to become a pilgrimage destination for Catholics throughout the Gulf region as well as a symbol of dialogue and mutual respect. On designated days, the faithful may also receive a plenary indulgence in the basilica under the conditions established by the Church.
History of the church
In the year 1948, a small group of Catholics—foreigners who had recently arrived in Kuwait to work in the burgeoning oil industry—opened a small chapel in Al-Ahmadi, the country’s second city. Just a few years later, a church took its place, and was decorated with an image of the Virgin Mary blessed by the Pope himself.
As the oil industry took off, and ever greater numbers of foreign workers began to arrive in Kuwait, the church—dedicated, as the original chapel had been, to Our Lady of Arabia—continued to grow in importance, firmly establishing its role as the “mother church” of Catholics in the country.
Christians now make up some 20% of Kuwait’s population, although almost all are migrant workers without Kuwaiti citizenship.
Kuwait was the first Gulf state to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See, in 1968, and it hosts an apostolic nunciature on its territory. Over the years, the country has earned Vatican appreciation for its respect for religious diversity and peaceful coexistence.
Click here to watch full video of the ceremony
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