Wow Largest Cathedral to Our Lady of Arabia on Land Donated by King of Bahrain is Consecrated by Cardinal Tagle - FULL VIDEO of Mass

The largest cathedral to Our Lady of Arabia on land donated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has been consecrated in Bahrain.

The Consecration Mass of the Cathedral took place on Friday the 10th December 2021 and was presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle in the presence of His Grace Archbishop Eugene Nugent, His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder and the Reverend Fathers of both the Vicariates. (FULL Mass Video Below)

Due to the regulations of the pandemic, a restricted number of faithful were invited for the Mass and Ceremony. His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa officially inaugurated the largest Catholic church in the Gulf region – the Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral. It is located in Awali, and the ark shaped structure will be able to accommodate 2,300 worshippers. It is intended to serve as a reference point for the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and, formally, Saudi Arabia. His Excellency Archbishop Eugene M. Nugent is Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait and Apostolic Nuncio in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral was built on 9,000 square metres of land that was donated by HM the King to the local Catholic community eight years ago.

Besides the cathedral, the palm tree lined complex features a multi-purpose building, a courtyard, and a two-story parking area.

The cathedral’s altar, baptistery, pews and other furnishings were produced in Italy. The cathedral has an octagonal dome, a symbolic geometric detail that is also found in churches around the world such as the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, and Germany’s Aachen Cathedral.

 HM King Hamad officially invited the pope to visit Bahrain. Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, HM King’s Adviser for Diplomatic Affairs, personally delivered the invitation when he met Pope Francis and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on Nov. 25 at the Vatican.

"The Apostolic Vicar in Arabia, Camillo Ballin, thought of it as a reference point for the entire Persian Gulf. We have to keep in mind that the Catholic presence is important, with some 200,000 people, Filipinos and Indians, with a strong religious identity," said architect Mattia Del Prete, according to Rome Reports.

Del Prete was selected by Bishop Camillo Ballin, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, as the final design for the Cathedral in Bahrain.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia will be the second cathedral in the vicariate after Kuwait's Holy Family in the Desert Cathedral and will be headed by Cardinal Luis Tagle, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia.

The construction of the church began in February 2013.

Prior to the opening of the cathedral, Bahrain had 19 registered churches, with around half of them being situated in the capital city Manama.

Christians make up 14.5 percent of Bahrain's population, including around 80,000 Catholics. Most of them are migrant workers from India and the Philippines, but there is a small native Christian community that has a recorded presence from the 12th century.