2023-10-21 11:46:24
The entire Arab Church is preparing for the 1500th (523-2023) martyrdom jubilee year by renewing the memory of the martyrdom of the people who sacrificed their lives for Christ in the Arabian lands.
Fr. Jinu Jacob, Vatican City
The entire Arab Church is preparing for the 1500th (523-2023) martyrdom jubilee year by renewing the memory of the martyrdom of the people who sacrificed their lives for Christ in the Arabian lands. Bishop Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of North Arabia, said this is a year of grace for the vicariate and for all Christian communities in the Arabian Gulf.
The Apostolic Vicariate of North Arabia includes Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. The Apostolic Vicariate of South Arabia includes the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman.
Jubilee celebrations will begin on October 24, 2023. On the occasion, the holy doors will also be opened with the special permission of Pope Francis. These doors will be opened for absolution till October 23, 2024. The holy doors will be opened for the pilgrims to receive special grace in Co-Cathedral in Kuwait, Cathedral in Bahrain, Cathedral of Arabia in Awali, Bahrain, St. Joseph Cathedral in Abu Dhabi and St. Arethas Church.
Among the Arabian martyrs mentioned in history are Aretas and others who were martyred in AD 523. History records that in the 6th century, King Himyar (in present-day Yemen) systematically persecuted Christians in southern Arabia, burning mosques, forcing people to convert, and executing those who refused to renounce the Christian faith.
The relic of Saint Aretas, gifted by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, will arrive in Bahrain in November 2023.
Today there are approximately 2.5 million Catholics in the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, including people from different countries and different cultures.
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