The Arabian Gulf’s largest Roman Catholic church has opened in Bahrain.
Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, which can seat at least 2,300 people, is located in a desert town about 20 kilometres south of the capital, Manama.
The modernist church with an octagonal dome, several tiers of seating, two chapels and 800-capacity auditorium is set to become a focal point for Bahrain’s 80,000 Catholics and an architectural landmark.
Bahrain and papal flags fluttered in the roads, while the sound of hymns drifted out from the cathedral’s pews into the desert air ahead of the opening.
It is really an achievement for Bahrain. It will encourage others who would like to come and live in Bahrain. It means you are welcome
Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
“It is a wonderful feeling,” said Bishop Paul Hinder, who oversees the Catholic Vicariate, or jurisdiction, of northern Arabia that encompasses Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
“We are happy to have such a wonderful and extraordinary building that will be an architectural highlight in Bahrain,” said Bishop Hinder. “We are grateful.”
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, granted the 9,000 square metre plot of land eight years ago and his representative, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, inaugurated the church on Thursday.
It is the culmination of years of work involving the country’s rulers, Church figures, the wider Roman Catholic community in Bahrain and scores of others from architects to builders. It also speaks to a rich history of tolerance in Bahrain for other religions that stretches back centuries.
Our Lady of Arabia - named after the patroness of the vicariate of northern Arabia - can be seen for kilometres around, and its design is striking. It resembles a tent in which the Prophet Moses met his people, as described in the Old Testament, and is topped with an octagonal dome under which most of the congregation will sit for mass.
The grey walls are made with pietra serena stone that is only produced in Florence. On the walls are a series of icons portraying scenes such as the death and resurrection of Jesus, crafted with materials including 24 carat gold shipped from Italy. Light constantly floods the church from different angles.
“I feel joy and full of emotion,” said the cathedral’s Italian architect, Mattia Del Prete, looking at his work years after his team won the global competition to design it.
“The most fundamental aspect of the whole project is the light. At every time in the day, it changes the colour and atmosphere.”
The opening is a moment of celebration for Bahrain’s Catholics, but also one to express deep gratitude to their host country. Arabia is a place where, for centuries, Islam has prevailed over Christianity. But Bahrain has long allowed people of other faiths, from Judaism to Hindu, to worship in peace. A Hindu temple was established in Bahrain about 200 years ago, while in the 19th Century, an American mission was allowed to open a church there.
“It was not really an easy question for a ruler who was very conservative, very Muslim, Arab,” said Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairman of the board of trustees of King Hamad Global Centre of Peaceful Coexistence. “I’m sure he had a lot of opposition but he overcame that. He foresaw the future.”
By the 1930s, Bahrain has become the commercial centre of the Arabian Gulf on the back of the oil boom. The Gulf’s first Roman Catholic church - The Sacred Heart Church – opened in Manama in 1939 as more workers arrived. The new cathedral is close to Awali, a small town in the centre of the country that has long hosted expatriate workers dating back to the oil days. From the church compound, oil heads can still be seen pumping.
Today, Bahrain’s Catholics are chiefly working migrants from dozens of countries, but mainly the Philippines and India. Bahrain is also one of the few GCC countries to have a local Christian population – largely Roman Catholic - of about 1,000. The majority of these were originally Arab Christians from the Middle East and immigrated to Bahrain from the 1930s to 1950s and now hold Bahraini citizenship.
“Tolerance is important but not only tolerance,” said Bishop Hinder. “It needs entering into an understanding of each other. That doesn’t mean I have to convert to the other religion but I have to have a proper understanding and get rid of all the prejudices. It is an ongoing process and never finished.”
Relations between Bahrain and the Vatican have advanced in recent years. King Hamad presented a model of the cathedral to Pope Francis in 2014 and he has also invited the Pontiff to visit the country.
King Hamad also endorsed the Document on Human Fraternity, signed in Abu Dhabi by the Pontiff and Dr Ahmed El Tayeb, grand imam of the Al Azhar in 2019 that aims to bring people together in the spirit of respect and tolerance.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only a small number of people attended the opening. The cathedral will be consecrated – meaning blessed and ready for services – on Friday.
“The importance of this cathedral is not just the history but also the size,” said Sheikh Khalid. “It is really an achievement for Bahrain. It will encourage others who would like to come and live in Bahrain. It means you are welcome.”
Hanging outside the cathedral on Thursday were posters showing the construction with the tagline “journey towards a dream”. On Thursday, that dream came true.
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
