The first meeting of the AVOSA Pastoral Council

May 10, 2025

by Marinella Bandini

On May 10, the first meeting of the AVOSA Pastoral Council was held at St. Joseph’s cathedral in Abu Dhabi.

This body had been encouraged by Pope Paul VI, who wrote in the decree Christus Dominus: “It is greatly desired that in each diocese a pastoral commission will be established over which the diocesan bis\hop himself will preside and in which specially chosen clergy, religious and lay people will participate.”

According to the Code of Canon Law, “its function, under the authority of the Bishop, is to study and weigh those matters which concern the pastoral works in the diocese, and to propose practical conclusions concerning them.”

Bishop Paul Hinder, had already laid the foundations of this council with the assembly of the lay faithful, which for some years was convened regularly.

Today the new council was born, with the new statutes illustrated by the chancellor, fr. Valerian Fernandes.

The meeting was chaired by Bishop Paolo Martinelli.

“Beginning our work, I would like to recall the words of the Pope at the Zayed Stadium during his visit in 2019: ‘You are a choir composed of numerous nations, languages and rites; a diversity that the Holy Spirit loves and wants to harmonize ever more, in order to make a symphony’. Serving this polyphony of faith is the purpose of our Pastoral Council of the Apostolic Vicariate.”

In his opening remarks (full text), the bishop offered an overview of the Christian presence and life in the diocese, whose territory includes the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen.

Though it is difficult to give precise statistical data, “it is possible to say that there are about 850,000 Catholics for the 9 parishes in the UAE.” However, “many of them do not go to church.” In Oman the number is “certainly it is over 100.000,” but many of them are spread-out in places too far to regularly join the Parish community. “The situation is so peculiar that I am thinking of creating a pastoral council for that nation.”

The bishop also mentioned the presence of some faithful in Yemen. Today, two communities of the Sister of Charity are still in the north of the country, as well as a priest who helps them. Bishop Paolo also expressed his hope to soon be able to send a priest to the south of the country.

The bishop reflected on the special vocation of the local Church — a Church of migrants — to build “unity in diversity” and to show “the universality of faith, which knows how to make differences interact and make them fruitful.”

During the meeting, the statutes were presented. Out of 36 members, 32 were present and elected Ms. Carla Ann Monnier as Secretary, along with the members of the Executive Committee: Fr. Peter P. M. (Chairperson), Ms. Carla Ann Monnier, Fr. Chito Bartolo, Mr. Mathew Thomas, and Ms. Mariam Iskander-Melcon. There was also an initial discussion on how the Synodal Process is being received in the Vicariate, with several contributions from those present.

“Following the indications of the new Pontiff, we will seek to receive the final document of the Synod in light of our specific context,” the bishop said. He highlighted “mutual listening” as a fundamental key to the Church’s path forward: “We listen to one another in order to hear the voice of the Spirit, so that those tasked with making decisions may do so by discerning what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. This is not simply an exchange of opinions, but a shared journey of faith.”