In a sign of hope for Christians on the Arabian Peninsula, Father Aldo Berardi, OSST, was ordained the second bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia on March 18 (video).
The see had been vacant since the death of his predecessor in 2020.
The ordination took place at the new Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia,
the peninsula’s largest church, which was built on land donated by
Bahrain’s king. Pope Francis visited the cathedral during his apostolic journey to Bahrain in November.
As Vicar Apostolic of Northern Arabia, Bishop Berardi will minister to
Catholics in Bahrain (one parish), Kuwait (four parishes), Qatar (one
parish), and Saudi Arabia (no religious freedom for Christians).
Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, traveled from Rome to preside at the ordination.