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January 20, 2009
The man with the hardest job in the world? Bishop of Arabia.
Well, really the Vicar Apostolic of Arabia, but we get the idea. The mailing address is Abu Dhabi.
Here is an interview from a Swiss weekly with the Swiss Bishop of Arabia, Paul Hinder. He talks verrrrrry carefully about what he is and is not allowed to do in ministering to the faithful in his vicariate, where there are maybe a million Christians. For instance, he is asked about the request to build minarets in Switzerland, and balances that against his church in Qatar:
In Qatar recently, we were permitted to build a church large enough to accommodate 2,700 of the faithful. There is not a church that big in all of Switzerland. But it is true that in the agreement with the government it is clearly stated that no religious symbols should be visible from the exterior. It is only in the interior that Christian symbols are tolerated. If I had not accepted this condition, my request for the building permit would have been rejected. I did not even apply for the permission to build a church tower.
Very interesting!
Posted by CrankyProfessor at January 20, 2009 10:40 AM