The groundbreaking for Qatar’s second Christian church in 1,300 years took place on Sept 28 in Doha.The Rt Rev Michael Lewis, Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, accompanied by the British Ambassador, presided at the blessing service for the Church of the Epiphany and the Anglican Centre of Doha.
The buildings will serve as a church home for the Protestant and Orthodox congregations in the Gulf State.
The Church of the Epiphany, when completed, will join the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in serving the emirate’s Christian expatriate population.
The vicar of Epiphany, the Rev William Schwartz thanked the Emir of Qatar for donating the land for the church and stated he hoped the building “will offer a place of prayer for the many Christians who worship in small groups in different places all around Doha.”
Upon completion the church will have 18 different worship spaces, allowing simultaneous services for the disparate denominations found in the emirate. In its outward design, the building will have no Christian marks or symbols, and will resemble an office building/conference centre.
Like Saudi Arabia, Qatar follows the strict Wahabbist interpretation of Sunni Islam. The grant of land to the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches by the Emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, marks an opening to the West and a significant liberalization of the traditionally closed society, analysts note.
Since the rise of Islam in the seventh century, no Christian churches had been permitted in Qatar until this year.
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(Source: RI)