Manama (AsiaNews) – Municipal authorities in Manama are not going to shut down unauthorised churches; instead they want to ensure they operate within the law. Manama Municipal Council technical committee chairman Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a recently made a statement to that effect.
In reporting the story the Gulf Daily News said that churches will have to wait until the end of the year to receive the new licenses. By then work on new rules authorising their existence and operation should be completed.
Talks on the regulatory framework between Mr Al Sebea'a’s committee and representatives from the Social Development Ministry and the Capital Governorate only began on Sunday.
According to the paper 18 churches in Manama are unauthorised against 12 which have all the right papers.
In 1940 Bahrain was the first Gulf State to authorise the opening of a place of worship for its many Christian residents, mostly Lebanese and Indians. Catholics number 150,000 and have their own parish church dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
Unauthorised churches are most likely “house churches” organised by Protestant groups.
In order to obtain legal status, they will have to meet certain conditions. First, they must operate in an organised manner and not harm or cause noise for their neighbours. In addition to respecting existing laws, they must show how they are funded, to make sure that it is legal, and how they use the money.
“No church will be closed down. We are trying to help the people in-charge of the churches in getting the required formalities completed,” Mr Al Sebea'a said.
“We will work with each church to solve its problems. But those who fail to solve some of their problems will be regretfully told to close,” he added.
In some cases there are problems with local residents but “things have changed now and most churches are willing to change for a friendly neighbourhood”.