Table of Contents • Vicar of Arabia celebrated the inauguration of the new church in Oman, a land to discover • Symbol of tolerance, oldest Christian site reopens in Sir Bani Yas • Pope Francis, and the west, should be wary of the UAE’s tolerance agenda • Christians in the Emirates, freedom in the shadow of Islam • UAE’s tolerance embraces faiths, runs up against politics • Papal visit to UAE is a ‘breakthrough,’ says EU envoy • Jesuit scholar of Islam assesses upcoming Papal visit to UAE • Aid to the Church in Need: Religious freedom report 2018 Vicar of Arabia celebrated the inauguration of the new church in Oman, a land to discover The opening of the St Francis Xavier parish church in Salalah is an "extraordinary event" in a climate of "great quietness". The main challenges for the migrant community are job loss and prospects for young people. Faith is the only source of stability along with people's enthusiasm. Oman maintains an open position, which gives it flexibility to negotiate amid conflicts. By Abu Dhabi AsiaNews.it (10.09.2019) - https://bit.ly/2kGO6Q3 - For Oman’s Catholics, the opening of the new church in Salalah, a city "a thousand kilometres south of the capital Muscat" was "an extraordinary event" celebrated by the entire community, said Mgr Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar of southern Arabia (United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen), The prelate spoke to AsiaNews after returning to the United Arab Emirates from Oman where he took part in the recent inauguration of the St Francis Xavier parish church. "Local Catholics do not often see three bishops and a group of priests and nuns together." "On the evening of 7 September, celebrations took place with representatives of the government and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The following day we had the dedication of the church and the celebration.” “The presence of the faithful was not certain because for them it was a work day. Celebrations began at 7 pm and many remained until after 10 pm, and had to walk a long way home. Still, they did everything they could to attend. Their quietness created an extraordinary atmosphere." The church was built in less than a year and a half on land granted by the sultan. It has a 600-seating capacity, a balcony overlooking the altar and a multi-purpose hall, about a thousand seats in all. Human Rights Without Frontiers FoRB Newsletter | United Arab Emirates "Oman’s Catholic community is doing well; it is very vibrant,” said the bishop. “We have four parishes, two flourishing in the capital, one in the north and the other in Salalah, in the south." Are there problems? Losing one’s job is one, the vicar says. “For this reason, quite a few must return to their own country: hence the slight decline in the number of Catholics.” “This has not yet reached any serious level. However, no one can predict what might happen in the future due to the economic crisis and its impact.” The challenge is "to provide the faithful with a certain peace of mind to cope with uncertainty.” “Young people are also a concern. Since there are no Catholic schools, it is not easy to keep them in touch with each other. Many return to their home countries after graduation.” "The situation is very fluid. Like in other countries, the Church in Oman is a Church of migrants, lacking stability. Indeed, faith is our only stability, combined with the enthusiasm of these people who amaze and fill me with joy." “To ensure greater stability it is important to build other places of worship, which are much needed. At the moment though, there are no new projects. Relations with government and (Muslim) clerical leaders are good. Just yesterday I met the Minister for Religious Affairs to discuss some issues of common interest," the vicar said. "Relations are good even if there are still no official relations between the Holy See and the Sultanate of Oman. But we are working on that." Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said is responsible for what some observers call the happiest society in the region. However, he is old and ill, and is faced with the issue of succession whilst holding onto his main principles. In light of the crises that are shaking the region and the world, Oman has kept a certain neutrality, partly because of its own form of Islam. The country has tried to maintain good relations with Iran without displeasing the Saudis. This has earned it the title of "the Switzerland of the Middle Eastern". Thus, Oman "has kept a position of overture towards all and this allows it to negotiate amid conflicts.” The Sultan played a key role in the release of Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, a Salesian priest from India taken hostage a few years ago in Yemen. More generally, Omani "People are very pleasant,” Bishop Hinder said. “They are not against the presence of foreigners. Personally, I have not had any problems.” In addition, “the country is an interesting tourist destination, especially now that Yemen is inaccessible” due to the war. Symbol of tolerance, oldest Christian site reopens in Sir Bani Yas The conservation work now gives access to new areas of the complex, which includes a church and a monastery. For local Muslim authorities, the site is a source of pride and confirms the importance of interfaith dialogue. The site is Human Rights Without Frontiers FoRB Newsletter | United Arab Emirates considered a symbol of tolerance that “favours the relationship between the religions,” said For Vicar of Arabia, in the wake of Pope Francis’s visit. AsiaNews.it (15.06.2019) - https://bit.ly/2Rk4Yb2 - The church and monastery complex on Sir Bani Yas Island, the oldest Christian site in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reopened to the public yesterday. The island is just over 200 km south-west of Abu Dhabi. UAE Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan was present at the official inauguration ceremony. Archaeologists, experts and various local Catholic leaders, including Mgr Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of southern Arabia, were also in attendance. Thanks to the conservation work, new areas of the complex are now open to the public. Discovered in the early 1990s in the eastern part of the island and dating back to 600/700 AD, the site was off-limits to the public until now. Flint tools from the Neolithic period and a stone structure from the Bronze Age were also found on the island at around the same time. The area includes the ruins of a monastery, probably Nestorian, home to scores of monks. “This site received special attention from the UAE’s founding father, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, due to the great significance and value it holds as a historic part of the UAE’s cultural heritage,” said Shaikh Nahayan. “The Sir Bani Yas church and monastery sheds light on our cultural history, one that we can be proud of; its existence is proof of the longstanding values of tolerance and acceptance in our lands,” he explained, adding that “This further emphasises the importance of cross-cultural dialogue and collaboration, as the site provides evidence of the UAE’s openness to other cultures.” The inauguration is one of the many initiatives undertaken for the Year of Tolerance, coming a few months after Pope Francis’s historic visit to the Emirates, in early February, when he and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb signed the document on human Brotherhood for world peace and coexistence. The Apostolic Vicar of Arabia spoke about the commitment of the UAE to preserve the heritage of other religious other than Islam, considering them an integral part of the national culture. “Even I didn’t know that a church existed in the UAE centuries back,” he said. “I’m sure people would love to know about it and its past. Such measures open up the minds of people, which is very important, and it favours the relationship between the religions.” The site was first discovered in 1992. In the following years, some crosses emerged, evidence of the its Christian origin. Eventually, archaeologists found a church, dormitories, a burial ground and a kitchen where the religious lived in peace and cooked the fish they caught. The monks belonged to Christian communities that existed beyond the borders of the Roman Empire. This community continued to prosper for some time even after the spread of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. Between 2015 and 2016, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism completed its conservation work of the church as part of a broader plan to manage the whole island. Human Rights Without Frontiers FoRB Newsletter | United Arab Emirates Pope Francis, and the west, should be wary of the UAE’s tolerance agenda The papal visit is a breakthrough for religious tolerance in the heart of the Muslim world, but severe problems there persist. By Nina Shea National Review (05.02.2019) - https://bit.ly/2RIp2m0 - On Sunday, February 3, history was made when Pope Francis landed in the United Arab Emirates, marking the first time any pope has been permitted to set foot anywhere on the Arabian Peninsula in over a thousand years. The papal visit is a breakthrough for religious tolerance in the heart of the Muslim world. But all the hype and hoopla attending it and the risible boasts of openness by the UAE government should not blind us to severe problems that persist. By the end of his three-day visit, the pope will have been welcomed by the crown prince at the presidential palace, joined by the grand mufti of Al Azhar to sign a document on “human fraternity for world peace and living together,” and invited to dialogue with the local Muslim Council of Elders.