Kuwait: Cardinal Parolin to elevate Our Lady of Arabia to Minor Basilica

By Devin Watkins

On June 28, 2025, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV has decided to elevate the Church of Our Lady of Arabia, the oldest church in the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, to a Minor Basilica.

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin will travel to Kuwait on Thursday to celebrate Mass and confer the title, making it the first Catholic church in the Gulf region to receive the honor of Minor Basilica.

The Cardinal will also meet with Kuwait’s civil authorities and hold an encounter with the local Catholic community at the Holy Family Co-Cathedral in Kuwait City, according to a post on X by the Secretariat of State.

Historic church with humble origins

The Vicariate of Northern Arabia comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, and is led by Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T., Apostolic Vicar.

Located in Ahmadi and considered the “mother church” of the Northern Vicariate, the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Arabia has humble roots, as it sits on the site that previously housed a power station.

The building was converted to a temporary chapel in December 1948 through the work of the Carmelite Fathers and Bishop Ubaldo Teofano Stella.

The Kuwait Oil Company worked with the Bishop to finance the permanent church building to provide spiritual care for the migrants who came to Kuwait to work in the oil industry.

The Minor Basilica houses the image of Our Lady of Arabia—originally dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel—which Pope Piux XII blessed in 1949 and Pope Benedict XVI crowned in 2011.

Migrant community under Our Lady’s protection

According to Bishop Berardi, the Minor Basilica continues to offer migrant workers a place to practice their Catholic faith under the protection of Our Lady.

“It is a shrine of great devotion,” said the Bishop. “It is noteworthy that here, in a predominantly Muslim region where such representations are forbidden, there is the presence of a Marian image. I find this profoundly meaningful.”

Our Lady of Arabia acts as the Patroness of both the Northern and Southern Vicariates.

Her feast day is celebrated on the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, which falls just two days after Cardinal Parolin confers the title on the church that houses her image.

“This church is a ‘flower’ in the area,” said Bishop Berardi. “Even during the war between Iraq and Kuwait [in 1990, ed.], the image of Our Lady remained as guardian of that small church and protector for all those who could not flee.”

Minor Basilicas enjoy a special connection to the Pope and the See of Rome, and the title is conferred on churches that hold special importance in liturgical and pastoral life, while standing out for their historical, spiritual, and architectural value.