‘A living and discreet Church’: Despite persecution, Catholic faith endures in Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, 16 July 2025 ()
The port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. / Credit: Tahir mq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 16, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
In Saudi Arabia, a theocratic monarchy where Islam is the official and only permitted religion, religious freedom does not exist. However, according to data maintained by the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, a considerable number of Catholics live in its vast territory — which covers more than 772,200 square miles, slightly larger than Mexico.
“The vast majority of non-Muslims have no religious freedom. Among them, there are more than 1 million Catholics,” explained Bishop Aldo Berardi, who has headed this ecclesiastical jurisdiction since 2023, which also includes Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. The entire apostolic territory is home to nearly 35 million people, of whom more than 2 million are Catholics.
Unlike other countries in the region that have shown small signs of religious openness — such as Qatar, where the construction of a church complex was permitted in 2008 — when it comes to religious freedom Saudi Arabia remains one of the most restrictive states in the world, as reported by organizations such as Open Doors and Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
In the country, ruled with an iron fist by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, conversion to another religion is considered apostasy and is punishable by death, as is any blasphemy against Islam.
*‘Lives are at stake’*
“I can’t tell you everything because lives are at stake. But what I can say is that they are not abandoned. We communicate, we organize ourselves, we enter [the country] when we can, and if not, we are present online. There is a living Church, discreet, but deeply connected to the universal Church and the bishop,” Berardi cautiously emphasized.
Bishop Aldo Berardi has led the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia since 2023. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia
He explained, without going into detail, that the faithful gather clandestinely “according to language, rite, spirituality.”
“There are charismatics, Marians, Trinitarians. The families who arrive there look for Christian groups to share with, and news spreads among them,” he stated.
The Catholics residing in Saudi Arabia are, above all, foreign workers who have to live their faith in complete secrecy.
As the bishop explained in a press conference organized by Institutional Communications (ISCOM, by its Italian acronym), these faithful — mostly Filipinos and Indians — live scattered throughout Saudi Arabia, unable to meet officially and under constant surveillance.
Catholic families “follow Mass online,” he explained. However, “they don’t do so with the sacraments as we know them, but rather they develop groups for prayer, formation, and catechesis.”
Amid the repression, the internet has become a formidable tool: “Now everything is a little easier with the internet. It offers us certain possibilities, such as those for formation, courses we can teach, retreats… Everything is done with absolute discretion, because everything is prohibited,” he emphasized.
Furthermore, when there is a possibility to preside over “a celebration, there is one, but always with protection.”
*A dispersed Church in the hands of the laity*
However, the apostolic vicar noted that the majority “have no access to anything,” as many live in rural areas or small towns. “There are Catholics all over the country, because they hire nurses or technicians for hospitals and teachers for schools everywhere. There is a complete dispersion of Catholics,” he explained.
Berardi, a member of the Trinitarians, whose charism entails helping persecuted Christians, also explained that, despite the restrictions, the Catholic Church has managed to sustain believers thanks to a network of lay-led communities.
“It’s a beautiful experience to see the laypeople responsible for communities, for education, for prayer, and for worship. They, the families, [teach] the catechism. Everything is in their hands,” he stated.
*Wave of repression after the 1979 Iranian revolution*
The repression intensified, as the vicar explained, after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution. The Sunni Kingdom of Saudi Arabia further tightened its internal religious control in an attempt to consolidate its legitimacy in the face of the Shia ideological challenge from Tehran. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini harshly criticized the Saudi regime for “allowing missionaries, priests, and pastors to enter,” he explained.
As a consequence, “they expelled them and totally prohibited non-Muslim worship. Since then, nothing has been authorized,” he lamented.
The apostolic vicar stressed that having the presence of the clergy in the country could be beneficial even for the Saudi authorities.
“Our form of organization is hierarchical, well identified. It’s not like in other communities where it’s not known who’s in charge, who speaks in the name of who. For Catholics, everything is more systematic. If we are allowed to be present with a clergy and an organization, it would be even safer for all,” he said.
This proposal, presented as a factor of stability for the regime, has not been fruitless: “Sometimes they invite someone from Rome to their conferences on Islamic dialogue. But nothing concrete for the moment. We are subject to politics, to the vagaries of the region.”
*Fleeting contacts with the Holy See*
Furthermore, although Saudi Arabia does not maintain diplomatic relations with the Holy See — unlike other countries in the region such as Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the Emirates — Berardi confirmed that informal contacts have taken place on specific occasions.
“Sometimes it has happened that a letter that has passed through the hands of diplomats, between embassies, or a letter from the Saudi Embassy in Rome reaches the Holy See. It seems there is a desire for dialogue, but Islamic tradition blocks it. For them, Saudi Arabia is a great mosque. Steps are taken little by little,” he noted.
Despite these circumstances, the vitality of the Catholic communities in the gulf has not disappeared. Berardi confirmed that some people will participate in the Jubilee of Youth from July 28 to Aug. 3: “We always send someone, even if it’s just one person. For the Jubilee of Priests, we sent 10. Now, about 40 young people from the four countries will attend.”
“Between the visa, the cost, and getting time off from work, it’s not easy, but we’re taking care of it,” he added.
In any case, he made it clear that at this time they are not demanding full religious freedom from the Saudi regime, “understood as being able to have a religion, change religion, or have none at all,” but rather to be guaranteed freedom of worship.
“We ask that those who are not of their religion be allowed to conduct their worship. We want to care for the millions of Catholics there,” he stated.
*Saudi Arabia’s youth want change*
Asked about the future prospects, Berardi was cautious but hopeful: “Social openness in the country has taken hold very quickly, although the older generation is still alive and there can be tensions. However, 60%-70% of the country is under 30 years old, and this younger generation wants change because they see what’s happening in the world and don’t understand why their country can’t be open.”
Therefore, his hope is for progress in the short term: “They will allow it one day. Not complete religious freedom, but freedom of worship. That’s what we’re asking for.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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