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Holy See–Saudi Arabia relations

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Holy See-Saudi Arabia relations
Map indicating locations of Holy See and Saudi Arabia

Holy See
Saudi Arabia

Holy See–Saudi Arabia relations do not officially exist but there have been some important high-level meetings between Saudi and Holy See officials to discuss issues and organize dialogue between religions.

History

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In November 2007, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia visited the Vatican in a historic moment, which signaled an end to the 1,400-year-old chill in relations between the Arab state and its predecessor states' leaders and Vatican leaders.[1]

Proposals have been made to build a church somewhere in Saudi Arabia, citing the ancient 7th century Treaty of Najran made by Muhammad and Christian residents of Arabia.[2]

There are many foreign workers that identify as Christian, and at present, they must cross a border to a surrounding country to find a church affiliated to the Roman Catholic church; this is due to a Saudi law that bans the worship of religions other than Islam. In the 7th century, the idea of building a church in Saudi Arabia was proposed, but this was rejected. With the exceptions of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medinah, Christians are allowed to enter all of Saudi Arabia. Discussions have until now focused on the fair treatment of those foreign workers. This issue was given high priority in Pope Benedict XVI's address to the diplomatic corps in January 2011, where the Pope expressed the hope for a speedy establishment of a Catholic hierarchy within the kingdom.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Historic Saudi visit to Vatican". BBC News. 6 November 2007. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014.
  2. ^ Stanley J. Valayil C. John (2018). Transnational Religious Organization and Practice: A Contextual Analysis of Kerala Pentecostal Churches in Kuwait. BRILL Publishers. p. 77.
  3. ^ "Address of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps". Vatican.va. 10 January 2011. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
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