Second catholic church in Abu Dhabi inaugurated

Abu Dhabi -— A second Catholic church in Abu Dhabi was inaugurated on Thursday evening in the presence of Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Culture, Youth and Community Development; Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state and Bishop Paul Hinder, the apostolic vicar of Southern Arabia.

The new St Paul church of Roman Catholics is a 4,560 square metres complex built on a land given by the Abu Dhabi Municipality in Musaffah, the industrial area of Abu Dhabi.

In the UAE there are almost 900,000 Catholics and up to 20,000 of them are attending weekly church services in Abu Dhabi, which, until now, was only possible in the capital’s only Catholic church St Joseph’s Cathedral, located in the city centre.

With most labour accommodations now being in Musaffah and with more people living in the adjacent areas of Mohammed bin Zayed and Khalifa cities, the new St. Paul church is believed to be a blessing for Catholics on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.

“Our leadership knows its true wealth and accepts the obligation to respect and understand the many religious beliefs of the people living in this country. I believe that each of you can provide evidence that the leaders of the UAE are fulfilling that obligation,” said Shaikh Nahyan, during the inauguration ceremony.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com