His Lordship Bishop Camillo Ballin, MCCI, speaks with
Francis A. Clifford Cardozo (Staff Reporter)

ARAB TIMES, Kuwait City, July 18, 2006

"A new church building is imperative to accomodate
the ever-increasing Catholic Faithful in Kuwait."

"Due to the ever-increasing number of the Roman Catholic faithful in Kuwait there is an imperative need for a new church building," says Bishop Camillo Ballin, Vicar Apostolic of Kuwait.

Bishop Ballin told the Arab Times that the present Cathedral in Kuwait City is bursting at its seams and that it could accommodate only 700 people. "There are at present around 300,000 Roman Catholics and the number is on upswing every week. We plan to approach the concerned authorities to seek permission to build a new church and would prefer a piece of land away from Kuwait City."

Bishop Ballin noted that owing to the ongoing developmental activity in the country a lot of workers are pouring into Kuwait, adding that there are over 95,000 Filipino Roman Catholics and around 6,000 Arab Catholics in Kuwait.

Bishop Ballin categorically denied reports published recently which claimed that the Roman Catholic Church was denied permission to build a church. "What happened was that a group of 900 Greek Catholics acting on their own initiative submitted a petition to the authorities citing need for a church, so the Roman Catholic Church has nothing to do in this regard."

"I hope Kuwait will continue to welcome people of other faiths and respond to religious necessities like it has always done." he said.