Pinoy priest to head Qatar's first Catholic parish

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino priest will head the first Catholic Church dedicated to the Blessed Mother Mary in Qatar, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said Wednesday night.

In a statement on its website, the CBCP said Fr. Tomasito Veneracion will head the new parish that will serve about 45,000 Filipino migrants there.

"Reportedly more than half of Qatar's 800,000 inhabitants are migrant workers, including about 45,000 Filipinos. The oil-rich Persian Gulf state established diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 2003," the CBCP said.

The church in Doha was built on land donated by Qatar ruler Emir Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who recently has supported inter-religious dialogue despite maintaining Islamic law, which forbids Muslims to convert to other religions.

Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, is scheduled to lead the dedication ceremony on March 14 in Doha.

Archbishop Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar of Arabia, will join Cardinal Dias for the dedication. - GMANews.TV

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