04/28/2024 – 08:53 A
Written by: Georgina Behnam Hababa
Doha – Father Charbel Muhanna, the Marian monk and servant of the Maronite parish in Qatar, confirmed in an interview with the “Aci MENA” agency that work is continuing in full swing on the construction of the Saint Charbel Maronite Church in the Qatari capital, Doha. He explained that this comes in preparation for opening its doors to worshipers next year, 2025, coinciding with the Universal Catholic Church’s celebration of the Jubilee Year.
Muhanna pointed out that Saint Charbel Church, when completed, will be the second Catholic church in Qatar, after the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, the largest in the Arabian Gulf, and the most accommodating of worshipers, as it can accommodate approximately 3,000 worshipers. The doors of the latter are open to all believers of the Catholic churches in the country, including the Maronites.
Muhanna stressed the absence of statistics confirming the numbers of Christians in Qatar. But he explained that it “is close to a million Christians, most of whom are Catholics at a rate of close to 70%.” As for the Maronites in the country, they are estimated at 12 thousand.”
An appreciation for openness to building churches
Regarding religious freedom in the country, Muhanna said: “We view with appreciation and respect the policy of openness to building churches in Qatar, and its leadership in religious tolerance and acceptance of others. All Catholic and non-Catholic churches practice their rituals in the Complex of Religions, and we, as a Maronite Church, practice all our religious rituals and orders with the utmost freedom within the Complex of Religions, to avoid any problems.”
Muhanna added that in every celebration they hold, they take into account the permission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in advance. The latter deals with churches as embassies and has a special office for the churches’ file. He added: “We are keen to permanently participate in the annual interfaith dialogue conference organized by the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue. Representatives of all religions and sects coexisting in Qatar participate in it.”
Muhanna explained that the State of Qatar contributes to building churches by granting land. He continued: “Thus, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary was built on land donated by the former Emir of the country, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in 2006 and inaugurated in 2008.
During the pontificate of our father, Patriarch Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, His Highness donated a land of ten thousand square meters to the Maronite Patriarchate for the construction of Saint Charbel Church. We celebrated the laying of its foundation stone in 2018 in the presence of His Beatitude and blessings. “I had the honor of receiving the land and starting construction.”
Believers build their church
Muhanna added: “In financing the construction of the church, we rely on donations from believers and white hands who contribute generously to rebuilding the House of the Lord. We look forward to celebrating the dedication of its altar next year on the occasion of the Jubilee Year as a first stage, followed by Christian education classes and other supplements in the future.”
Muhanna concluded his talk to “Asy Mina” by noting that “all believers from the Eastern churches are present in our masses and activities. The affiliation of those interacting with our activities and those benefiting from our service is diverse, especially Christian education, as we receive approximately a thousand Arabic-speaking students from various Eastern churches.”
Newsessentials Blog 
Posted on April 29, 2024
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