Cardinal Tagle visits the Vicariate of Southern Arabia

Vatican News

From 16 to 18 December 2025, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, visited the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, bringing with him the greetings and blessing of Pope Leo XIV. It was a short but highly meaningful journey, understood by the local Church as a concrete sign of the Pope’s closeness to a community made up largely of migrants and situated within a complex multicultural and interreligious context.

Simbang Gabi celebrations

Central to the visit was participation in the Simbang Gabi celebrations, the Filipino Christmas novena held from 15 to 23 December, which in the Vicariate represents one of the moments of greatest ecclesial participation. Cardinal Tagle presided over Masses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, attended by more than 30,000 and 18,000 faithful respectively. These numbers reflect not only the vitality of the Filipino community, the largest in the Vicariate, but also the role of the Church as a place of belonging and spiritual support for workers and families far from their countries of origin.

In his homilies, the Cardinal invited the faithful to a concrete preparation for Christmas, grounded in gestures of welcome and reconciliation. Referring to the figures of Mary and Joseph, he emphasized that true anticipation of Christmas is born from allowing oneself to be transformed by God’s love, capable of shaping daily life even in contexts marked by uncertainty.

Pastoral meetings

Alongside the liturgical moments, ample space was devoted to pastoral meetings. Cardinal Tagle met with the Apostolic Vicar, Bishop Paolo Martinelli, with priests, office directors, and leaders of the linguistic communities, reflecting together on the challenges of a Church called to safeguard unity within diversity. 

“These days were memorable not only for the Filipino faithful, but for the entire Vicariate," said Bishop Martinelli. “Through the celebrations and meetings with the Cardinal, we truly experienced unity in diversity, rediscovering that in Christ we are one. His presence, his words, and his blessing have given us strength and courage to continue our journey as pilgrims of hope, as a Church of migrants, witnesses of Christian hope.” Particular appreciation was expressed for the commitment to formation, youth ministry, and ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

The ‘joyful polyphony of faith’

A recurring theme was interculturality. Cardinal Tagle encouraged the faithful of different languages and traditions to take part together in ministries, learning to “walk together” and to place the richness of their cultures at the service of the entire ecclesial community. This invitation echoes the image of the “joyful polyphony of faith,” dear to recent Church teaching and especially meaningful in a migratory context such as that of the Arabian Peninsula. During the visit there were also moments of direct listening, particularly with representatives of the Filipino community and with the pastoral council of Saint Mary’s Church in Dubai, considered the largest Catholic parish in the world.