Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04KUWAIT1699
2004-05-30 12:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

(C) CATHOLIC CHURCH OPERATES FREELY, BUT

Tags:  PHUM KIRF KISL PGOV SOCI PREL KU 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001699 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, DRL/IRF, DRL/PHD, DRL/CRA
RIYADH FOR MATT TUELLER
TEL AVIV FOR DCM LEBARON
TUNIS FOR NATALIE BROWN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2014
TAGS: PHUM KIRF KISL PGOV SOCI PREL KU
SUBJECT: (C) CATHOLIC CHURCH OPERATES FREELY, BUT
CHALLENGES REMAIN

REF: RIYADH 02725

Classified By: CDA Frank C. Urbancic, reason 1.4(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001699

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, DRL/IRF, DRL/PHD, DRL/CRA
RIYADH FOR MATT TUELLER
TEL AVIV FOR DCM LEBARON
TUNIS FOR NATALIE BROWN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2014
TAGS: PHUM KIRF KISL PGOV SOCI PREL KU
SUBJECT: (C) CATHOLIC CHURCH OPERATES FREELY, BUT
CHALLENGES REMAIN

REF: RIYADH 02725

Classified By: CDA Frank C. Urbancic, reason 1.4(d)

1.(C) SUMMARY: The Roman Catholic Church is the largest
Christian church in Kuwait, with an estimated 100,000
members. It has its own bishop, while all the rest of Arabia
comes under another bishop. Additionally, the Papal Nuncio
(Vatican Ambassador) accredited to Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain,
and Qatar is resident in Kuwait; he is also Apostolic
Delegate for the Arabian Peninsula. The Roman Catholic Church
is one of four Christian churches that are officially
recognized by the GOK and allowed to operate compounds
officially designated as churches. It is able to hold worship
services without government interference, and the GOK is
generally tolerant and supportive of the Church's activities.
However, like other recognized churches, it faces a quota on
the number of clergy and staff it can bring into the country,
chronic overcrowding at its three facilities, and
restrictions on religious teaching. The Church is working
with other recognized Christian denominations to strengthen
fellowship and dialogue among the diverse Christian community
in Kuwait, and to bring their concerns to the attention of
GOK officials. The Church also provides some limited,
unofficial assistance to abused third-country national
domestic servants and other victims of trafficking, many of
whom are Catholics. END SUMMARY.

2.(SBU) Poloffs met with Bishop Francis Micallef, the Roman
Catholic Church's Vicar Apostolic of Kuwait, May 25 as part
of our ongoing dialogue with leaders of the various faiths in
Kuwait on religious freedom issues. Bishop Micallef, a
Maltese national and a member of the Carmelite order,
recently celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination, and
has been resident in Kuwait City for the past 22 years.
Having reached the age of 75, Micallef has submitted his
resignation as required; he said he expects to leave fairly

soon, once a successor is chosen. He explained that Kuwait
is a Vicariate Apostolic rather than a diocese, because a
diocese has to have an indigenous Catholic community.
Technically, therefore, Micallef is properly described as
Catholic Bishop "in" Kuwait, not "of" Kuwait (he is Vicar
Apostolic of Kuwait). The same applies to the rest of
Arabia, whose Vicar Apostolic is Bishop Bernardo Gremoli
(reftel),resident in UAE.

(U) LARGEST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN KUWAIT
--------------


3. (SBU) The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian
church in Kuwait, with an estimated 100,000 members. Bishop
Micallef declined to estimate how many of these attend
services, but he noted by way of illustration that more than
20 weekly services are conducted at the Cathedral, in various
languages. The Roman Catholic Church has two official
churches, the Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Kuwait City
built in 1960-61 as the seat of the Vicar Apostolic, and Our
Lady of Arabia in Ahmadi that was built by Kuwait Oil Company
in the 1950s, originally for its (mainly Indian) Catholic
employees. The Roman Catholic Church also holds worship and
other religious services in a private home in Salmiya
district that is registered in the name of a Kuwaiti citizen.
The Holy Family Cathedral and its surrounding compound was
built on land in downtown Kuwait City given to the Roman
Catholic Church by the ruling family. Latin (i.e. western
rite, what most Americans think of when they say "Catholic"),
Maronite, Coptic Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Malabar, and
Malankara congregations all worship there. The estimated
2,000 Greek Catholics in Kuwait, while also under the
authority of the Pope, worship separately in a rented house
in Salwa district. The Greek Catholic priest is a Patriarchal
Vicar subordinate to a Bishop in Lebanon.

4.(SBU) The Roman Catholic Church is one of four Christian
denominations that enjoy full recognition by the GOK allowing
them to operate compounds officially designated as churches;
the other three are the Coptic Orthodox, Anglican, and
National Evangelical (Protestant) churches. The Roman
Catholic Church has an "open file" at the Ministry of Social
Affairs and Labor that allows it to bring in pastors and
staff. However, there are quotas on the number of clergy and
staff that recognized churches can bring into the country.
According to Bishop Micallef, the Roman Catholic Church can
sponsor and obtain residence permits for a total of 16
workers. The Church currently has 9 priests and 7 staff
members.
(U) PAPAL NUNCIO RESIDENT IN KUWAIT CITY
--------------

5.(SBU) A Papal Nuncio (Vatican Ambassador) is also resident
in Kuwait, accredited to Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, and Qatar.
The Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe De Andrea, is also Apostolic
Delegate for the Arabian Peninsula (i.e. he is the Vatican's
diplomatic representative to all countries of the Peninsula,
whether accredited or not),and has served in Kuwait for over
four years. The fact that the Nuncio is resident in Kuwait is
testimony to the GOK's commitment to religious tolerance.
Kuwait was the first Gulf state to establish diplomatic
relations with the Vatican in 1969. In 2001, diplomatic
relations between the Vatican and Kuwait were upgraded to
ambassadorial level.

(SBU) CHALLENGES FACING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
--------------

6.(C) Bishop Micallef stressed that the Roman Catholic Church
is free to operate openly in its three premises, and that the
GOK and Kuwaiti society are generally tolerant and supportive
of its activities. He said that before the Iraqi invasion of
Kuwait, some conservative members of parliament had proposed
to relocate the Holy Family Cathedral from its downtown
Kuwait City location near the National Assembly to a less
conspicuous site, but that those demands were later dropped.
A few years ago, the owner of the private home in Salmiya in
which members of the Roman Catholic community hold worship
services decided to sell the property. In order to avoid
having to relocate, the Roman Catholic Church bought the home
but a private Kuwaiti citizen agreed to register it
officially and legally in her name. (Note: Foreigners are
prohibited from owning property in Kuwait. End Note).

7.(C) According to Bishop Micallef, the Roman Catholic Church
has asked the GOK for additional land and permission to build
a multi-purpose facility in which to hold religious and other
community services, such as weddings, in order to alleviate
chronic overcrowding. The Roman Catholic Church has also
petitioned the GOK to allow Catholic students in private
schools to study the catechism during the period in which
Muslim students receive mandatory instruction in Islam. The
GOK has not yet responded to these requests.

8.(C) The Roman Catholic Church, according to Bishop
Micallef, does not engage in any official inter-faith
dialogue with Muslims in Kuwait. Unofficially, he said,
government officials and Muslim scholars sometimes seek
information from him on Catholicism or Church teaching, and
those contacts provide a forum for some limited, unofficial
inter-faith dialogue. The Roman Catholic Church holds a
weekly prayer service for Christian unity, and the various
Christian churches in Kuwait have revived a Christian
"fellowship" program to strengthen dialogue and understanding
among themselves.

(SBU) CHURCH EFFORTS TO ASSIST TIP VICTIMS
--------------

9.(SBU) Bishop Micallef highlighted the Roman Catholic
Church's efforts to provide some assistance to abused or
exploited domestic servants and other laborers, many
thousands of whom are Catholics, mainly from India and the
Philippines. He said the Church helped to encourage the
Philippine Embassy several years ago to establish a shelter
for runaway Philippine domestics. (Note: Out of roughly
400,000-500,000 domestic servants in Kuwait, around 1,000 are
estimated to be living in source-country embassy shelters at
any given time as a result of abuse, non-payment of wages, or
other labor problems. End Note). Church pastors, staff, and
community volunteers, he added, often visit source-country
embassy shelters, police stations, and the Central Prison to
donate clothing and other items to domestics there.
URBANCIC