Bahrain debates building of largest Catholic church in Gulf

The building of the largest Catholic church in the Gulf was supposed to be a chance for the tiny island kingdom of Bahrain to showcase its traditions of religious tolerance in a conservative Muslim region where churches largely operate under heavy limitations.

Instead, the planned church – intended to be the main centre for Catholics in the region – has turned into another point of tension in a country already being pulled apart by sectarian battles between its Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities.