The Holy See and Muscat announced yesterday the establishment of full diplomatic relations, with the opening of the nunciature and the embassy. The aim is to promote “greater mutual understanding” and “strengthen friendship and cooperation.” A local Church made up of different souls that must maintain a “link at the community level”.
Muscat () – Promote greater “mutual understanding” and “further strengthen friendship and cooperation” between the Holy See and Oman. On this basis, the Vatican and the Sultanate announced yesterday that they have established full diplomatic relations, founded on the 1961 Vienna Convention and which include the opening of an apostolic nunciature in Oman and an embassy to the Holy See. The Vatican note then stresses that the decision will serve “the common interests” of the two entities, based on the principles of “sovereign equality, independence, territorial integrity and non-intervention.”
Therefore, since yesterday, the number of States in full relationship with the Holy See rises to 184, and among those of the Arabian Peninsula, only Saudi Arabia is missing.
The Sultanate of Oman is located in the southeast of the region and is divided into 11 governorates and 61 provinces. It has a population of about 4.5 million, mostly Arabs and a significant percentage of foreign workers from other Middle Eastern countries, the Philippines, India and Pakistan. Like many nations in the area, it has an economy based on hydrocarbons, especially natural gas, combined with the tourism sector.
Islam is the state religion and sharia is the main source of law, but the principle of religious freedom and the prohibition of denominational discrimination are also affirmed. 86% of Omanis are Muslims, and Christians make up 6.5% of the population, which is equivalent to about 300,000 people. About 70% are Catholic, 13% Orthodox, and 6% Protestant; the remaining 11% are independent groups or small communities. The faithful are almost exclusively economic immigrants from other Asian countries, especially the Philippines and India, and live in the large urban centers, from the capital, Muscat, to Sohar and Salalah.
Politically, Muscat has been maneuvering behind the scenes for years as a balancing act between Iran (Shia) and the Sunni universe, from Riyadh to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, which have long waged proxy wars in Yemen and other parts of the chessboard. regional. In the past, Oman was recognized by the Vatican for its fundamental contribution in the negotiations that led to the release of the Indian Salesian Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, kidnapped in Aden during the jihadist assault on the house of the Missionaries of Charity.
The territory is part of the Apostolic Vicariate of South Arabia (Emirates, Yemen and Oman), based in Abu Dhabi, entrusted to the pastoral care of Monsignor Paolo Martinelli. There are four parishes and 12 resident priests. The Vatican note concludes by expressing the hope that “with the establishment of full diplomatic relations with the Holy See, the Catholic Church in Oman, through priests and nuns, can continue to contribute to the social welfare of the Sultanate.”
A little less than a year ago, at the end of March, the then Vicar of South Arabia, Msgr. Paul Hinder, celebrated the first priestly ordination of the local Church. In an interview that made for the occasion, spoke of a “migrant” reality, made up of Indian, Filipino, European, American and African workers, in which there is a strong “community spirit” that, however, must not “close in on itself ” taking “ethnic or nationalist” drifts. And as in all the countries of the Gulf, the challenge “is to respect the needs of each one in pastoral practice” starting “from the tongue”, but “maintaining the link at the community level” even though “it is not always easy to pursue the objective” .
The priestly ordination of Fr. Dickson Eugene, born in the Salesian province of Bangalore and raised in Oman, was also the occasion to celebrate dozens of confirmations and organize a meeting with all the priests, during which the challenges for the future emerged. Beginning with the issue of migrants “who are losing their jobs, since the government launched a policy to promote employment for the local population. This triggered an exodus that is reflected in the appearance of the parishes, whose number is decreasing visibly,” though not “to dramatic levels. For this reason, the then vicar concluded, it is essential to guarantee “employment” and “adequate training for young people, which happens through the presence of catechists in the parishes.” This is also a problem that the local Church is called to face.”
