KUWAIT, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN

The State of Kuwait is an independent monarchy located on the northwest coast of the Persian Gulf. It is bounded by Iraq on the northwest, and Saudi Arabia on the west and south. An arid, desert territory, Kuwait' economy depended primarily upon the fishing off its long coastline until the discovery of oil within its borders in April 1938, and the material and social progress brought about by oil revenues quickly transformed life throughout the country. Major inland oil fields are located in Al Wafrah and Maqwâ to the south of Kuwait City, and Al Bahrah and Sabriya to the northeast; other oil is pumped from offshore platforms. Containing ten percent of the world's petroleum reserves, Kuwait ranked first in crude oil production in the Middle East and fourth in the world.

Kuwait's population is composed chiefly of Kuwaiti and other Arabs, who are ethnically closer to Iraqis than to the Arabs of the peninsular hinterland. South Asians and Iranians account for just over ten percent of the population. Except for small communities of Jews, Hindus, Christians, and Parsi, the population is evenly divided between Sunni and Shi’a Muslim, and almost half the country's residents are immigrants.

The ruling al-Sabah family, Sunni Muslims of Bedouin descent, gained power in Kuwait in 1756, shortly after the founding of the principality. The sultanate became an ally of Great Britain through a treaty signed by Muvarak in 1899, and Britain extended its relationship to that of protectorate in January 1914. Kuwait's boundaries with Saudi Arabia were defined by a treaty ratified in 1934. The sultanate became a sovereign state in June 1961, after a claim by Iraq to Kuwaiti territory was repulsed, and Kuwait joined the United Nations two years later.

In 1971 the defense pact between Kuwait and Great Britain expired, leaving Kuwait to pursue a neutral position in international matters. However, its natural wealth remained a temptation to neighboring Iraq, which invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990. After a seven-month occupation during which thousands of Kuwaitis were killed or taken hostage, U.S. and other forces entered the region, repulsing the Iraqi Army in the Gulf War. Cleanup costs following the war were astronomical due to the necessity of cleaning up the oil leaked after Iraq sabotaged over 700 oil wells throughout Kuwait. In 1992 the country held its first parliamentary elections, allowing radical and other opposition groups to extend their influence.

Although the Kuwaiti constitution of Nov. 11, 1962, granted freedom of religion, it also proclaimed Islam to be the religions of the state, and the government placed restrictions on religious activities as required by Islamic law. While tensions continued to flare between the country's two Muslim factions, relations between Muslims and Christians remained amicable. The Catholic Church was permitted to operate openly in Kuwait, although the government prohibition against evangelical efforts limited its presence to administering primarily to the foreign-born workers residing in the country. Most of these workers, employed by the oil industry, were Philippine Catholics who had immigrated to the region with their families.

An Apostolic Vicariate of the Roman Catholic Church is located in the capital city of Kuwait, and a Patriarchate of the Roman Orthodox or Eastern-rite Church is also present. Between the two Catholic churches, Kuwait contains four parishes administered by nine priests. Bibles and other religious materials are legally imported into Kuwait through the Book House Company, Ltd. In 1969 diplomatic relations were established between the Vatican and the Kuwaiti government; by late 1996 a nunciature was situated in the country, followed, in March 2000, by a permanent mission.

Bibliography: Bilan du Monde 2:551–552. l. lockhart, "Outline of the History of Kuwait," Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society 34 (1947) 262–274.

[a. jamme/eds.]