by Nirmala Carvalho

The country's only Catholic church is set to host a three-day conference (15-17 October) to reflect on the issues raised by Benedict XVI. For an Indian priest, who was invited to the gathering, it is "a symbolic event" and a "beacon of hope for the troubled Middle East."

Doha (AsiaNews) - The three-day 2013 National Faith Convention opens tomorrow in Doha at the initiative of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Qatar's only Catholic church, in order to prepare for the conclusion of the Year of Faith announced by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.

The event, which will also involve young people, will include debates and initiatives in the heart of the Middle East.

Fr Steven Fernandes, executive secretary of the Theology and Doctrine Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is one of the event's guest speakers.

"It is the largest initiative by the Catholic Church ever organized in Qatar," the priest told AsiaNews.

For Fr Fernandes, some aspects of the conference stand out. In his view, the event "symbolises many things: a step forward in Qatar's rapid development, a great step towards respect and tolerance, a beacon of hope for the troubled Middle East, and a push enabling the religious minority to feel more welcome in the country."

Concentrated mostly in the capital Doha, Qatar's Catholic community has about 150,000 members, mostly migrant workers from South Asia and the Philippines.

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church was inaugurated in February 2008.

 

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