Holy See–Saudi Arabia relations

Holy See–Saudi Arabia relations do not officially exist, however there have been some important high-level meetings between Saudi and Vatican officials in order to discuss issues and organize dialogue between religions.

In November 2007, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia visited the Vatican in a historic moment, which signaled an end to the 1 400 year old chill in relations between Saudi Arab and Vatican leaders.^[1]

Proposals have been made to build a church somewhere in Saudi Arabia, citing the ancient 7th century Najran Pact made by Muhammad to Christian residents of Arabia. However, Saudi leaders consider their country to be an "Islamic Vatican" and have thus far refused demands for religious reciprocation.

There are a large number of foreign workers that identify as Christian, and at present, they must cross a border to a surrounding country to find a church affiliated to the Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Arabia. Discussions have until now focused on the fair treatment of those foreign workers. This issue was given high priority in the Pope's address to the diplomatic corps in January 2011, where the Pope expressed the hope for a speedy establishment of a Catholic hierarchy within the kingdom.^[2]

References

1. ^ Historic Saudi visit to Vatican
2. ^ "Address of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps" Vatican.va 10 January 2011 Retrieved 3 April 2011