In what appeared like a departure from its hard stance on Christianity, Saudi Arabia, a top Islamic country in the world, has agreed with Vatican City to build churches for her Christian citizens, Breitbart reports.
Already, Saudi Arabia has reportedly entered into a joint agreement with the Vatican to build churches for Christians living in the officially Muslim nation.
Reports say the agreement was signed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdel Karim Al-Issa, the secretary general of the Muslim World League and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue in the Vatican.
Breitbart, quoting Egypt Independent newspaper, reports that Saudi Arabia’s newfound openness and socio-cultural cooperation with the non-Muslim world was as a result of her desire to reduce dependency on oil resources which is its major economic driver.
According to the agreement, a coordinating joint committee will be established comprising two representatives for both sides to organise future meetings.
It was also reported that there will a regular meeting of the committee which will be alternated between Rome and a city chosen by the Islamic World League.
Reports also say Saudi Arabia is the only country in the region without a single Christian church. The country was also said to have embraced Islamic Wahhabism, which bans all forms of non-Muslim religious activities.
Tauran, in an interview with the Vatican News newspaper was quoted to have said that he was pleased by what he described as ‘the beginning of the rapprochement.’
“It is a sign that the Saudi authorities are now ready to give a new image to the country,” he added.
Meanwhile, Deeper Life Christian Church had inaugurated its main auditorium located at the church’s headquarters in Gbagada area of Lagos state valued at more than N5 billion (about $16 million).
The 30,000 capacity church project which had gone on for about 13 years is said to be the fourth largest completed church auditorium in the world.
-NAIJ.COM
