News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

POPE-AUDIENCE header.JPG
Reuters
POPE-AUDIENCE thumb.JPG
Reuters
World News

Vatican establishes diplomatic ties with Oman, widening outreach to Islam

by Reuters Journalist

The Vatican and Oman established diplomatic ties on Thursday, marking a further widening of the Holy See's official relations with the Arab Muslim World.

In a joint statement, both sides said they wanted to promote mutual understanding and cooperation and that ambassadors would be named.

The Vatican, a sovereign city-state surrounded by Rome, now has diplomatic relations with every country on the Arabian Peninsula except Saudi Arabia.

Oman, a Sultanate, is predominately Muslim, like the other countries on the peninsula. Oman has only four Catholic parishes and 12 priests, the Vatican said in a separate statement.

The Vatican hopes that with the upgrading of relations, the Church could continue to contribute to the social wellbeing of the country, the statement added.

Pope Francis visited Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in 2019 and Bahrain last year.

In both places, he attended inter-religious meetings to promote dialogue among faiths.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate