GOVERNMENT OF QATAR AGREES TO LEASE PROPERTY FOR

UNCLAS DOHA 000910

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI: STHORNE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL QA
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT OF QATAR AGREES TO LEASE PROPERTY FOR
CONSTRUCTION OF CHURCHES


1. On 10 May, representatives of Christian churches in Qatar
signed an agreement at the Foreign Ministry for a 50-year
lease on a large piece of property in Doha on which they
will erect six churches at their own expense. The churches
will pay nominal leases of only a few hundred dollars a
year, renewable after 10 years. The property contains one-
half million square meters and is located on the southern
outskirts of town.


2. The Emir long ago announced his support for this
development. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are the only countries
in the Gulf that have no church buildings. (Qatar allows
Christian worship, but KSA does not.)


3. The central part of the land will be occupied by a
"Catholic community center" that can seat some 2000. Italian
decorator Renato Casiraghi, advocate for the local Catholic
community, says that Catholics form the greatest portion of
Christians in Qatar, chiefly poor expatriate workers from
the Philippines and South India. The Catholic community
already has funds in hand to build its church and hopes to
have it finished in 18 months.


4. Occupying the four corners of the Christian cantonment
will be: (1) An Anglican church that can also be used by
other Protestant denominations; (2) a church to serve 34
miscellaneous Indian Christian sects; (3) a church for
Qatar's small but influential Coptic community; and (4) a
site for two Orthodox churches, one Greek and one Eastern
Rite.


5. The churches cannot have any form of exterior Christian
symbolism, such as crosses or crucifixes. (These may be on
the interior, however.) Neither can any of the churches have
bells.


6. Public announcement of the signing is expected soon after
the Emir returns from his current trip to South American and
the U.S. (on or about May 20).

UNTERMEYER