ASIA/KUWAIT – Cardinal Pietro Parolin in the country for the elevation of the ‘mother church’ of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia to Minor Basilica

Kuwait City – This is a particularly significant and joyous moment for all the faithful of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. The Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, arrived in Kuwait this morning to participate in the celebrations for the elevation of the parish church of Our Lady of Arabia in Ahmadi to Minor Basilica.

Cardinal Parolin was received at the airport by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Eugene Martin Nugent; the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T.; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah; and the parish priests of the vicariate.

The Apostolic Vicar explained to Fides that Cardinal Parolin’s two-day visit, on January 15 and 16, includes a busy schedule, that will culminate in the elevation of what will henceforth be known as the Basilica Minor Dominae Nostrae de Arabia .

“The first official meetings are already underway,” noted Bishop Berardi, “followed by a luncheon hosted by the Government, a visit to the Grand Mosque and the Islamic Antiquities Museum. Later, the Secretary of State will meet with the clergy, men and women religious at the Holy Family Co-Cathedral, where a Mass will be celebrated in the afternoon to mark the 65th anniversary of its consecration. In the evening, there will be a reception at the Bishop’s House.”

The history of Ahmadi’s ‘mother church’ dates back to 1948, when a former power station was transformed into a chapel, and the first Mass was celebrated there on the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That same year, Father Theophano Stella was appointed the first resident priest in Kuwait, later becoming the country’s first Apostolic Vicar.
In 1952, the Kuwait Oil Company granted permission to build a new church in Ahmadi, later known as the ‘mother church’ of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, which includes Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
The cornerstone of the new church was blessed by Pope Pius XII before being sent to Kuwait. On September 8, 1955, the foundation stone was laid on the site of the new church, which was consecrated to Our Lady of Arabia in April 1956.

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