Here
the Catholic Church lives off the essential, the sacraments
and devotion... What makes the people I talk to open their
eyes wide every time, even if they’re the top leaders of
these countries, is whenever I say: “More than everything
else, we Christians pray for you”. A meeting with Monsignor
Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of ArabiaInterview with Paul Hinder by Giovanni Cubeddu (30 Days in the Church and the World)
The latest novelty in the diplomatic sphere was the setting up on 31
May of official relations between the Holy See and the United Arab
Emirates. As elsewhere in the Arabian peninsula, in the Emirates also the
Church had already experienced, before the formalities, the good will of
enlightened rulers: in this case the donation, in November 2006, in Ras
al-Khaimah (one of the seven Emirates that make up the federation) of
large tracts of land for the construction of Christian churches. Gratuity
is the best model of relations with power that the Church experiences in
its Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia. There in the cradle of Islam and where
the prophet Muhammad lived and has met Jews and Christians in exemplary
moments of justice and coexistence that would deserve much more attention
being paid to them today, within and outside the Ummah.
In this crucial region, the Holy See maintains diplomatic
relationships with Bahrein, Kuwait, Yemen and Qatar as well as with the
Emirates, and hopes that the list will shortly include the Sultanate of
Oman. The Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia – the most extensive in the world
with more than three million square kilometers – includes all the States
of the Arabian peninsula (with the exception of Kuwait, where the ordinary
is Bishop Camillo Ballin, a Combonian missionary). The current head of the
Vicariate is the Bishop Paul Hinder, a Capuchin Friars Minor, who
continues the silent and ardent tradition of his Order in offering
religious to these lands that have become a most delicate watershed in the
relations between faiths and civilization, and between global politics and
economy, given the enormous interests involved in energy resources. The
first Apostolic Vicar of Arabia, Bishop Louis Lasserre, was also a
Capuchin. In the heroic times (the Vicariate was formally established in
1889) the logistical base for the care of souls was by chance in
salubrious Aden, in the Yemen, in that southern part of the peninsula
known to the Romans as “Arabia felix”. Since 1973, instead, the residence
of the Apostolic Vicar is the futuristic Abu Dhabi.
Monsignor Hinder listens to and very often takes counsel of Bernardo
Gremoli, his fellow monk and predecessor as Apostolic Vicar from1976 to
2005 and, when he can, visits him. It is the same fine story that
continues.
Your Excellence, what is the situation of the Church in the Arabian
peninsula, inherited from your predecessor Monsignor Gremoli?
PAUL HINDER: My impression has been that of a very lively, numerous
Church. A situation one doesn’t expect when arriving in this part of the
world for the first time. Where the governments have granted land for
building churches, you find very impressive communities indeed, that give
me joy and courage.
The problem we are faced with in nearly all the countries of the
Gulf is precisely that of space. Because even if we have received land for
building churches, it’s already no longer enough. And it’s a concrete
issue, that sometimes provokes arguments between the various language
groups and rites pertaining to the same parish, and creates problems for
the bishop, who must always behave in the fairest way. Something not
always possible, materially...
Meaning?
HINDER: Let’s take Qatar as an example, where there are more than
50,000 Philippinos, 85% of whom are Catholic. We are building a large
church for them, but at the moment they don’t have one. A great many
Indians live in Qatar and adding it all up the Catholics come to between
140,000 and 150,000. Up to now the space for the liturgy has been found in
the premises of the American and Philippine schools and in other places
rented from time to time for worship. This dispersion doesn’t help in
taking pastoral care of such a composite group of faithful, in keeping it
unified. The lack makes itself felt, and it distresses us.
The problems relating to the authorization for the building of
churches have been benignly resolved in some countries of the Gulf by the
Muslim leaders. Do you find that difficulties are subsequently created?
HINDER: As far as I know reproaches never come from the highest
levels of government. Problems aren’t created and relations are good. But
progress makes itself felt here too, we may have the practical need to
pick the opportune moment to approach the authorities...
Which means what?
HINDER: Years ago, when Monsignor Bernardo Gremoli began roaming the
Arabian peninsula, everywhere the life style was closer to the Bedouin
past, more informal and direct compared to the present bureaucracies.
Today the ill-famed delays are very often attributable not to malevolence,
which doesn’t exist, but to the tangled life of the ministerial
structures, more and more complicated, even in the Gulf. I don’t deny that
sometimes one can come across less up-to-date government officials, who
aren’t aware of the social changes that have happened in their countries,
or others who instead take a more radical and close-minded line. But such
phenomena can be found in any administration. It’s not a prerogative of
the Gulf.
Paradoxically, the Bedouins of the past were more traditionalist but
also more open compared to their successors, more sure of themselves. The
thing that I mainly hope is that all of us, Muslims or Christians, always
take account of the real situation.
Are there some illustrative episodes in this sense?
HINDER: Many. I remember a meeting with the Sultan of Oman, when I
and the Anglican bishop had the possibility of speaking freely with him,
for more than an hour, and he understood and accepted what we thought and
we said. It was very cordial. As also the Minister of Religious Affairs of
Oman and the head of the section of the WAQF, the office for religious
property. In Oman, as Catholic bishop, up to now I have had freedom of
movement and an extended visa with multiple entry permit. They listen and
also try to help us, even while respecting the law that entails long waits
for the emission of visas, even two or three months. That creates
obstacles, if we have to respond quickly to some emergency concerning the
Christians. But the civil servants listen, and if there’s real need they
understand.
Other meetings?
HINDER: With the counselor for Religious Affairs of the President of
the United Arab Emirates, already a good friend of Monsignor Gremoli. He’s
a cordial man, so we meet each other gladly on official occasions;
moreover we receive him in our Bishop’s House for Christmas greetings. On
the other hand, as Apostolic Vicar, I am introduced to other authorities
as representative of the Pope. They are indications of a certain
affectionate, mutual esteem. In Yemen, then, where I often go, I’ve met
several government figures, such as the Foreign Minister, or the Health
Minister, to discuss the eventuality of opening a small clinic for the
poor in one of our houses in Aden. And the King of Bahrein or the Emir of
the Qatar show no less good will. Then there is everyday administration,
the civil servant who doesn’t know us and maybe applies the rules
strictly, lengthening the waiting...Then you need a lot of patience.
And when you get to the end of it?
HINDER: Well, everything gets settled with a bit more patience
[laughter, ed.]... and if you haven’t got it, you learn it.
The fact that in some countries of the Gulf a cordial relation
exists with the Catholic Church is in itself, among other things, a
discreet request for closer approach to the Saudis.
HINDER: Of course, although I have no way of assessing the extent to
which it’s been received so far. Here again patience helps. But, apart
from this speaking together in silence, there is sometimes concern between
the Saudis and the small countries of the Gulf, both because of lack of
communication, and because of what may happen in Ryadh from a political
point of view. There is mutual incomprehension, not least because of
differences in mentality, of approach to burning issues... Towards the
large problems involving all the Arab world or Islam, obviously Arab
and/or Muslim unity comes about almost automatically. But in matters of
detail, it’s no longer like that. Exactly as would happen with us
Europeans.
The change of climate goes back to the Iran revolution of 1979 and
then above all to 11 September 2001 and the second Gulf War resulting.
Since then there has been more radicalism, skepticism, distrust in the
Gulf. The minorities have felt greater insecurity, we talk together less.
But that’s not true for everybody. Some people make an exception...
What does that mean?
HINDER: Those with at least a bit of education, or better, those who
get to know the Christians personally, change their cultural baggage,
become more positive... are less “afraid” of us. And that certainly also
happens to the Christians towards the Muslims.
In your experience, in which circumstances is it easier for people
of different religions to meet? What behavior brings them closer?
HINDER: The main node for the countries of the Gulf, pointed out
also by the government authorities, is that the foreigners arrive to work
and after some years they leave; therefore they aren’t considered
immigrants to be integrated but simple “expatriates”. That inevitably
changes the rules of the relationship. For example, the overwhelming
majority of those who arrive do not learn Arabic. Let’s take Qatar: in
general the Church restricted itself to the care of expatriates – among
whom there are also Arab Christians from other countries, but they’re a
small minority within a mass of Asians. That, too, influences the kind of
co-existence, and also our relationships with the inhabitants are
sometimes reduced to bureaucracy or receptions with the authorities. We
hope that a continuous dialogue finally gets established with the native
imams, who sometimes, however, and this is another problem, know only
their own language. With the academic or political authorities, instead,
who may even have studied abroad, it’s easier. Because, for example, they
know Europe.
So, to answer your question, I would say that the field where we go
along together best with the Muslims is respect for life – also at
international conferences the Church and Islam have been close, for
example in condemning abortion – and love for the family. Even with the
disparity in the roles of man and woman, the sense of the family is very
strong in Islam. We also share the desire for peace and justice...
How do the people you talk to react to the current international
happenings?
HINDER: As we all know, and we’re well aware, every encounter
between us will be weakened, and rendered less genuine, until both the
perennial Palestinian issue and the current tragedy of the Iraqi people
are resolved. They are open wounds in the Arab-Muslim world. And every
time – I see it in my official meetings with the authorities – at a
certain point in the discussion I will be asked: “And what are you doing?
Which is the Pope’s position on Palestine? And on Iraq?”. Fortunately our
Pope has been clear on the war, and also on Israel and Palestine the
position of the Holy See is credible. But these nodal points remain, and
the dialogue, for those of us here in the Gulf, is complicated.
Which are the features of the life of the Christian communities in
the Gulf?
HINDER: Here the Catholic Church lives off the essential, the
sacraments and devotion. There are charitable activities, carried out by
members of the communities or through the parish priest or the local
bishop. But there are no structures, and it would be difficult to have
them. The exception is four schools belonging to the Apostolic Vicariate,
and another four private ones, run by religious: they are very important
activities for us. The students are mostly Muslim. They are the great
majority if we consider the institutes overall, but at the Rosary School
in Abu Dhabi the Muslims represent as much as 95% of the students! And all
these students who have studied with us go away with a rounded idea of who
Christians are. The reputation of the schools is good, and even the
sheikhs feel free to send their children to us.
The Arabian peninsula is well known as being a problematic place for
freedom of worship. But when a ruler, an emir for example, a friend to the
Christians, hears western debates on the subject of reciprocity, what is
the reaction?
HINDER: First of all, I wouldn’t say that the prime intention of
those who rule in the Gulf is to deny freedom and reciprocity to
Christians. No. Maybe they haven’t received the right information on the
real needs of the Christians in their country, they underestimate them.
I’d like to recount an episode involving the current Sultan of Oman. He
once said that in Great Britain, when he was a student, he was lodged with
a family of Christians. Not only did his hosts assign him his own small
room, but they also set aside a second room for him, as a place of prayer,
as if it were, he said, his “little mosque”. That experience marked him
for ever, and when the Sultan was attacked for having destined land for
the building of churches in Oman, he answered his critics by saying that
if in a foreign country they had recognized his right to pray, all the
more reason now for Christians to be able to pray in his home. Is that not
an example of reciprocity? Then, as I said, here and there in the Gulf
there may be an underestimation of the needs of Christians: that can be
negotiated.
Oman is not a case to itself.
HINDER: In fact. I have met the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, who also
studied in Europe, and we spoke exactly in the same terms as with the
Sultan of Oman.
Of course, in the Gulf we also find those who do not think they
should guarantee full freedom of worship because they are convinced
followers of the only true religion of Islam, and within that framework
Christians are tolerated, but they have no other right than that of
becoming Muslim...
The Christians in Oman owe their freedom to profess their faith
publicly to the personal experience of their Sultan.
HINDER: It’s true... It’s an episode that the Sultan always speaks
of. In the same way, it’s interesting to remember that when the Sultan
heard some imams preaching in coarse and immoderately radical fashion and
learned that they had come on purpose from Egypt, he had them accompanied
to the border, because he did not want this false Islam to take root in
the mosques of his country.
In the United Arab Emirates they have taken a further step,
establishing that, where necessary, there be a check on the Friday
preaching, in order to avoid infiltration. If an imam refuses to submit to
a prior reading of the text of what he will tell the faithful in the
mosque, all he can do is keep to the official texts prepared by the
Ministry of Religious Affairs. You see, I as Christian bishop am freer
than the imam! Because nobody has ever come to ask me to correct my
sermons...
The issue of the exported radicalism is delicate in the Gulf.
HINDER: When, years ago, the Muslim Brotherhood spread out from
Egypt into other countries, they were received with open arms. There was
no awareness of what was inside. But the idyll didn’t last long, and
certain Arabic States have reacted. With close and strict checks, or with
expulsion.
From your point of view, what will most help the Catholic community
in the countries of the Gulf to be better understood and hence to have
more breathing space where necessary?
HINDER: All we have to do is become comprehensible to the mentality
of these peoples. By doing three things.
The first?
HINDER: The easiest, what makes the people I talk to open their eyes
wide every time, even if they’re the top leaders of these countries, is
whenever I say: «More than everything else, we Christians pray for you».
In our masses, on every feastday, we pray for intercession for those who
govern the country, and for the well-being of the people of whom we are
guests. And that remains fixed and is valid even if the Christians may
have suffered or are enduring injustices.
The second one?
HINDER: I try every time to remind the people I am speaking with
that the wealth of these oil countries is being accumulated thanks also to
the poor unskilled labor of the immigrants, of the expatriates present in
every one of the innumerable work sites open in the Gulf. And that part of
them are Christian. And then, the Church, that is doing its best to look
after these people, is helping the development of the country by so doing
and, if you like, also assures greater civil order. The well-being of the
country and the people whose guests we are is of interest to the Church.
Third?
HINDER: We respect the laws of the country, and ask that others do so also.
The Christian communities are judged by their hosts according to
their behavior in everyday life. But how does their bishop judge them?
HINDER: At the in coena Domini mass in Abu Dhabi, there were 15,000
faithful present at least. It was celebrated in the open, if you could
have heard that hush and seen the congregation’s attention! The same thing
happened on Easter night. You can see images like that only from Saint
Peter’s Square, perhaps, but with less devotion... because the square is
vaster and people get distracted in it. And then I see so much devotion
here, that is not just the expression of the religious feeling of Indian
or Philippino immigrants or from other Asian countries, but that brings to
light the good battle of the faith, the vital desire to deepen it.
«Father, I have more faith here than in my own country», more than one
person has said to me. Perhaps it’s because of the situation of exposure
that as Christians we are subject to here, in countries that are not
Christian. But... look at what result. Let me tell you the story of the
European who had lost his faith...
Please do.
HINDER: In his native country the possibility exists of officially
resigning from one’s religious community – in this case the Catholic
Church – valid even in terms of the official relations between Church and
State. So, some time ago I received a letter from a man who was no longer
“officially” Catholic, and who works in a country of our Vicariate where
there is not freedom of worship. Even with all the difficulties he was
facing there, or who knows... perhaps just because of them, he told me: “I
want to re-enter the Church”. Here in the Gulf, for many reasons, one is
daily presented with the possibility of abandoning one’s faith, or of
re-embracing it, never to leave it again.
Your Excellence, you are describing a place where every pastor would
like to find himself.
HINDER: I’m tempted to say that, more than in other western
countries, here the people love the bishop... And to think that I didn’t
ask to come here.