Catholic immigrants in Arab countries are the new ‘frontier’ of the Christian Churches in the Middle East. "In Saudi Arabia alone, there are over one million, especially from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India and Korea. In Kuwait, they are 300 thousand. More are coming. In Cyprus, we opened a home for nuns from Sri Lanka for a better reception on the island". This was stated, in an interview with SIR, by father Pierre Grech, secretary general of the Bishops Conference of the Latin Bishops in the Arab Regions (Celra). A phenomenon, which has been discussed at the recent Celra meeting on Lake Tiberias. "We think the time has come to reword a new pastoral, tailored to the needs and the requirements of these Catholics of traditions other than the Middle Eastern ones explains the priest -. We thought of publishing a pastoral letter for the immigrants, leaving it to the Bishops to decide whether to promote local initiatives to meet them. Catholic immigration is the new frontier of the Middle Eastern churches". But while many Christians are arriving, many are emigrating, an unstoppable drain. For them, explains Grech, "we want to revive the mission and the rediscovery of Christian identity". This is the inspiration behind the proposal made by Celra, to set up "groups of prayer, communities of lay people devoted to Biblical study and education” and a plan of material aids, such as houses for young couples and scholarships".
