Bahrain opens biggest Catholic church in the Arabian Gulf

News Network
December 10, 2021

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Against the backdrop of mosque minarets and a desert oil field, the biggest Catholic church in the Arabian peninsula opened its doors in Bahrain on Thursday.

The cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, with seats for 2,300 people, will serve the majority-Muslim Gulf country’s small Catholic community.

“We’re happy for this church,” Bahrain-based priest Father Charbel Fayad told AFP. “It will be for the spiritual needs and spiritual health of all the people.”

The modern-style church, with two tiers of seating, lies about a mile (1.6 kilometres) from a large mosque and a stone’s throw from an oil well, in the south of the state.

The Vatican estimates Bahrain has some 80,000 Catholics, mainly workers from Asia, mostly India and the Philippines.

“Christians and non-Christians, all are children of God and they are all welcome here in this beautiful church,” Father Charbel said.

King Hamad last week invited Pope Francis to visit Bahrain.

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News Network
February 2,2025

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British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta says Israeli authorities considered the destruction of medical facilities and the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip as preliminary preparation for a plan of genocide in the besieged coastal territory.

Israel “placed the destruction of the healthcare system in Palestine at the core of its military doctrine from the beginning, in order to make the Gaza Strip uninhabitable,” he said.

Abu Sitta stated that the occupying Israeli regime launched its onslaught against the Gaza Strip with a plan to destroy the entire healthcare system and its various components.

He added that “Israel did not only target buildings but also destroyed 33 out of 36 hospitals that were providing services throughout the region.”

The British-Palestinian surgeon continued that “Israel killed a thousand healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and lab technicians to eliminate an entire generation of healthcare professionals.”

The doctor explained that the Israeli military destroyed the Gaza healthcare system by demolishing water treatment and sewage facilities. Additionally, it destroyed the homes of residents, leaving people more susceptible to infectious diseases.

Abu Sittah emphasized that Israel considers the destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza as a precursor to the genocide project.

 “I do not know of any war in modern history where the systematic destruction of the healthcare system was central to the doctrine of the warring armies, but the destruction of the healthcare system played a pivotal role in disrupting life in Gaza from Israel’s perspective,” he stated.

The British-Palestinian doctor underlined the need to prosecute Israeli officials, soldiers, and politicians in The Hague for their destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza.

“Otherwise, every future war will follow the model of Gaza, as the destruction of the healthcare system played a central role in the management of the war,” Abu Sittah pointed out.

He stated that Interpol should issue arrest warrants against Israeli soldiers, leaders, and politicians, stressing that the International Criminal Court (ICC) should adopt the same measure.

The British-Palestinian surgeon emphasized that world countries, especially in the West, should arrest Israeli soldiers and politicians once they travel there.

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