Arabian Pictures

Bloggers have a tendency to assume that the whole world is interested in accounts of their travels, complete with photos. However, the aim of these pictures is not (hopefully) to bore you but to give you some idea of the vibrancy of the Church in Arabia.

St Joseph's Cathedral in Abu Dhabi is not exactly a picture postcard building:

However it is the heart of the Vicariate. In the large compound is a presbytery, parish hall, school, Carmelite convent and Bishop's House. It is here that the Vicar Apostolic of Arabia, Bishop Paul Hinder, is based. On Thursday, my last day there, he celebrated his fourth anniversary as Bishop - and here he is in the Cathedral Hall before the Solemn Mass. He wears a pectoral cross presented to him by Pope Benedict a week or so ago during the ad limina:

There is a constant stream of people coming in and out of the Cathedral all day. Candles are always being lit outside the Lourdes Grotto:


Now for the Christian Formation Conference, at which I spoke. Here I am with two other speakers: Dr Carole Eipers (Vice President of Sadlier Publishing) and Dr Petroc Willey (Deputy Director of Maryvale):


There were over 600 people present:


Here is a rather serious-looking line-up - the Roman Miscellanist with Mgr Francis Jamieson, the English-born Vicar General of Arabia, and the wonderful Director of Christian Formation, Catherine Miles-Flynn:


Finally, no Arabian gallery would be complete without camels. And these are no ordinary camels - but elite racing camels, training in the midst of the desert outside Abu Dhabi:

Update: I have been requested to include a picture of the Young Adults Group discussing the subject of vocation over Moroccan tea and sheesha in downtown Abu Dhabi. This is very much part of Arab life. Any uncharitable comments will not be posted!

O Arabia Felix!

I've just returned from ten days in the Gulf, feeling jet-lagged from the night flight but also incredibly humbled and encouraged by the situation over there. Just to remind you: the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia looks after the Catholics of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen. There are at least 2 million Catholics out there, half of whom are in the 'Forbidden Kingdom' of Saudi Arabia (where the Church is allowed no official activity). Relative religious freedom within a well-defined framework exists in all the other countries but there is a huge problem of adequate provision - 16 parishes and 55 priests to serve 2 million souls! That was the reason, I suppose, why I encountered such warm hospitality this last week.

Due to the delicate political situation, I have to be careful about the details I provide here. I spoke at a conference for those involved in catechesis and teaching. If such a meeting was held in England, you'd be lucky to get 100, but in the Gulf over 600 people attended the three day event. The atmosphere was electric - especially when, at the beginning of the conference, representatives from each community brought flags to the front of the hall (and I say 'community' since not all of them have access to a church).

One of the other speakers at the conference was Dr Petroc Willey, EWTN presenter and Deputy-Director of the amazing Maryvale Institute (which deserves to be better known). It was great to get to know him and help him celebrate his birthday last weekend. The Vicariate of Arabia uses the Echoes programme and some catechists are working for the Maryvale Certificate in Catechesis (MCC). Petroc also edits The Sower, which I've just subscribed to - I know of no other catechetical resource that is so reliable, well-produced and full of practical points. I recommend it to all priests, catechists and parishes!

On Tuesday night I did some work with the Abu Dhabi Young Adults Group. We reflected on the theme of vocation together and then went out to enjoy the nightime treat of Moroccan Tea and sheesha by the sea! Hmmm, I must do that with my parish's young adults group. One thing that came across from our conversation was that the biggest threat to the Faith out there is not so much fundamentalism but the increasingly materialist outlook of society, especially in places like Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The UK and UAE are perhaps not that dissimilar!

A few more posts and pictures to follow, especially when I get back to the parish at the weekend...

Back to the Gulf!

Some of you may recall that I was in UAE in August 2007, conducting a retreat for a group of Carmelite sisters. Anyway, I'm going back to the Gulf for ten days to help the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia with their annual 'Christian Formation Conference.' In particular, I'll be giving some talks on the 1997 General Directory of Catechesis. I think there are two other 'keynote speakers,' one of whom is coming from the wonderful Maryvale Institute, near Birmingham.

I may be able to post while out there. But, in case I don't find a connection and to give you some idea of the 'particular Church' in the Arabian Penninsula, take a look at this interesting video:

And prayers please for a safe journey and stay!

Arabian Catholics

This is the notice board of Abu Dhabi Cathedral, showing the busy timetable for Friday-Sunday and the many different language groups represented: English, French, Arabic, Urdu and Malayalam. The church is packed for most of these Masses and often there's a large overspill outside. In fact, on the Solemnity of the Assumption there were 1,000 inside the Cathedral and 1,000 outside, listening to the Mass from loudspeakers, with occasional interruptions from the nearby minaret. Such numbers are hardly surprising given that 35% of the population of the UAE is Christian, most of whom are Catholics - yet in a large city like Abu Dhabi there is just one church, though the provision is luxurious compared to Saudi Arabia!

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A reader has just pointed out to me Sandro Magister's new post on the Church in Arabia, which ties in nicely with my recent experiences and has the eye-catching title, The Christians Are Coming Back to Arabia - Fourteen Centuries After Mohammed. It vividly describes some of the pastoral challenges out there and is well worth reading.

Three Nuns in a Desert Oasis

Last Monday I visited Al Ain, built around a desert oasis on the UAE-Oman border and called the 'Garden City of the Gulf'. Three of the sisters who I led on retreat also came and the above picture shows them pointing at dates on the trees.

In Arabia, nuns seem to be highly respected, partly because of their famously successful schools (such as St Mary's, Dubai). Also they can freely roam the streets in their habits because the veil, etc meet the Muslim idea of how women should be dressed (most nuns in this country wouldn't). Priests, on the other hand, have to be a little more prudent and I only wore my white cassock in the Cathedral compound (where I stayed most of the time). This explains why, in the following picture, I am dressed as an Englishman abroad (that will shock some of you!) and the sisters are dressed as sisters. The interesting thing, though, is that we are standing in UAE but the rock behind us belongs to Oman. It was the nearest I got to the Sultanate - to set foot in Oman you need a visa.

A Sign of Contradiction?

As I sit in my London presbytery, it's hard to believe that this time last week I was in Dubai, the 'Hong Kong of the Middle East'. I spent a pleasant day shopping, visiting the surprisingly interesting Dubai Museum and lunching at the Dubai Creek Golf Club.

Dubai is a town of construction sites, including what will become the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, which has currently reached its 146th floor at some 1,759ft:

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The final height is being kept a closely guarded secret because of competition from other ambitious projects, including those in nearby Kuwait, Bahrain and (it is widely rumoured) Abu Dhabi. The tower could reach as high as 2,684ft. Wikipedia rather amusingly says:

The silvery glass-sheathed concrete building will restore the title of Earth's tallest structure to the Middle East — a title not held by the region since Lincoln Cathedral upset the four millennial reign of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza in 1311 AD.

The most famous building in Dubai is the impressive Burj Al-Arab (above), which stands at 1,053ft and houses a super-luxurious 7-star hotel. Such is its iconic status that the tower appeared on Dubai number-plates, until being removed recently. Why? The building is meant to resemble a sail, billowing in the wind. Towards the top, a long horizontal structure (containing a restaurant) intersects the building's 'mast' or 'spine', giving the appearance of a Christian cross. In fact, some call it the largest cross in the Muslim world! You can make it out in the picture heading the post, or in this rather exaggerated one I found on the internet:

Of course, crosses can be found in almost every building if you look hard enough, but the (British) architects were accused by some of placing the symbol there on purpose. As a result, official photos never show the Dubai cross (which can only be seen from the sea) and the offending image was taken off Dubai number-plates. As one friend said to me, half in jest: such a strong reaction to the cross makes you think that there must be something in Christianity!

The Largest 'Diocese' in the World

Greetings from Bishop's House, Abu Dhabi (UAE)! I haven't been able to blog the last few days - nor was I sure how prudent it would be to do so. But having got the 'go-ahead' from the Vicar General, who is an Englishman, I thought it was time to give an up-date. The picture above shows yours truly (in an Indian-style tropical cassock) with the good sisters I have been leading in retreat the last eight days. They belong to the Apostolic Carmel (based in Bahrain) and the Carmelites of St Teresa (based here in Abu Dhabi). Sorry about the shadow.

Here is St Joseph's Cathedral, the mother church of the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia. Abu Dhabi is one of the world's newest cities - just forty years ago it was a tiny desert settlement, with none of the skyscrapers that you see today. It has, of course, been transformed by the discovery of oil. The first Catholic church was built here in 1965, with the help of the British and the permission of Sheikh Zayed (who attended the opening ceremony). The episcopal seat was moved here from Aden in 1972 following the Yemeni Communist Revolution, thanks to the efforts of Bishop Calabresi, who had the wonderful title of 'Apostolic Delegate for the Red Sea'.

The Apostolic Vicariate claims to be the largest ecclesiastical territory in the world, covering Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen - an area of about 1,858,491 square miles (2,990,958 sq km), though much of this is desert. There is a substantial Catholic population, entirely made up of foreign workers. Sunday Masses (which are celebrated on Friday and Sunday) are packed and at least 2,000 attended the Cathedral's Assumption procession last week. The Vicariate's schools are highly regarded and are open to non-Catholics (indeed, such is the reputation that they are used by prominent members of the local community). Since 1916, the Vicariate has been under the care of the Tuscan Province of Capuchins and the current Vicar Apostolic, Bishop Paul Hinder, is a Capuchin friar originally from Switzerland.

According to the 1983 Code of Canon Law, a Vicar Apostolic is equivalent in law to a diocesan bishop, possessing all ordinary jurisdiction and enjoying the usual rights, faculties, privileges and obligations. However, rather than exercising this governance in his own name, he does so in the name of the Supreme Pontiff. The fact that Arabia is an Apostolic Vicariate reflects this area's stage of ecclesial development - i.e. it has not reached full maturity or independence (just like England and Wales up until 1850).

Above is a picture of Bishop's House, which has been my home for the last fortnight. Note the rising minarets right behind - I wish modern English churches could be built to the same standard as these modern mosques.

One final picture of the Catholic compound here in Abu Dhabi is the convent of the Congregation of St Teresa, where the six nuns who run the school live. As you can perhaps tell from these pictures, it's jolly hot - in the mid 40s. I'm used to walking about quite a lot in London and so it's a bit of a shock coming to this climate and living in an air-conditioned bubble without much exercise. British readers who are complaining about their ghastly summer don't know how lucky they are! More Arabian-themed posts to follow.