The Vatican has elevated the Church of Our Lady of Arabia in Ahmadi, Kuwait, to the rank of Minor Basilica, the first of its kind in the Gulf region.
The decree, issued on June 28 by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, recognizes the church’s historical, religious, and pastoral significance.
Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia Bishop Aldo Berardi said the parish was founded by the Carmelites in 1948 and later built by the Kuwait Oil Company for expatriates working in the oil industry. Over more than seven decades, it has served as a spiritual center for Catholic migrants and residents.
The church also houses the statue of Our Lady of Arabia, originally dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The statue was blessed by Pope Pius XII in 1949 in Rome and crowned in 2011 by Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI.
Bishop Berardi said the elevation consecrates the church’s pastoral and spiritual role in a region where public Christian imagery is rare. He added that the parish remained a symbol of resilience during the 1990–91 Gulf War, when the statue was seen as a protector for those who could not leave the country.
Our Lady of Arabia is now officially patroness of the Gulf’s northern and southern apostolic vicariates. Her solemnity is celebrated each year on the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time.
