A bishop who died on Easter Sunday after a lifetime of ministry in some of the most difficult places in which to be a Christian, has been praised for his “courageous and dynamic apostolate in the heart of Islam.”
Comboni Missionary Bishop Camillo Ballin, who died on April 12 at age 75 after a long illness, ministered across the Middle East before being appointed the first ever Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, covering Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Paying tribute to the bishop, Father Andrzej Halemba, Middle East projects coordinator for Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), said: “His was a very courageous and dynamic apostolate in the heart of Islam.”
“Bishop Ballin never denied his Christianity, but at the same time he earned the respect of others by his command of Arabic and his respect for Arabic culture.” Father Halemba said that Bishop Ballin wore his cassock and cross even in parts of the Gulf where symbols of Christian faith are not welcome or banned.
Father Halemba said that Bishop Ballin’s priority was meeting the needs of a community that is growing in number, as compared with the Middle East as a whole where the number of faithful is in marked decline. As a key ACN project partner for more than 10 years, the organization developed 50 projects with Bishop Ballin, who earlier served as Apostolic Vicar of Kuwait.
ACN was a key funder of Bishop Ballin’s biggest initiative, the construction of Bahrain’s Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, a huge 2,500-seat structure, complete with 16 multi-purpose halls.
As a result of negotiations with Bishop Ballin, King Isa Al Khalifah of Bahrain gave the Catholic Church two acres of land on which to build the cathedral, which, upon its completion, will serve 2.5 million Catholics from countries across the vicariate.
The cathedral, whose construction is far advanced, is seen as a break-through in Church-state relations in the region and a sign of the coming of age of a growing Christian community.
Father Halemba said: “Bishop Ballin showed great determination in overcoming many, many challenges in support of the pastoral needs of a community which includes many foreign workers from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Korea.”
The practice of Christianity on the Arab Peninsula is severely restricted, especially in some countries, and is mostly limited to the grounds of foreign embassies and private homes. Priests are generally not allowed to appear in public dressed in clerical garb and Muslims are strictly forbidden from converting to Christianity.
Father Halemba said: “Bishop Ballin’s legacy is his example of courage, enabling people to live out their faith in a place where it is frequently difficult to practice Christianity, and his great work to ensure that the Christians are fully respected in the heartland of Islam.”
“He always said that it is important for Christians to witness to the love of God wherever they are.”
Source: Aid to the Church in Need
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