Cardinal Pietro Parolin has opened a new Catholic Church in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Secretary of State opened St. Paul's Catholic Church in Abu Dhabi, the second church of its kind in the city.
It can accommodate 1,200 worshippers and will hold daily services in English as well as weekly services in Arabic, Malayan and Tagalog, as well as offering Tamil and Konkani language services.
Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, said: 2We thank the rulers for providing an attractive environment where Christians feel accepted and are able to live their own identity and to practice their religious beliefs.
"The mission of the Church is to do everything possible to foster the human capital of the Christian faithful and to make them strong in the pursuit of truth and moral behaviour and thus able to better serve the country," he said, speaking to Vatican Radio.
It is estimated that there are almost one million Catholics in the UAE, who mostly have South and South East Asian backgrounds.
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Article by Hannah Tooley
Hannah Tooley is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
