Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Nov 7, 2012 / 02:02 am
At least 1,500 Catholic youth from across the Middle East will gather at Abu Dhabi's St. Joseph's Cathedral for Arabia's second Catholic youth conference this Nov. 15-17.
"The future of a community lies in its youth, and we have placed paramount importance in our parishes to events and activities that foster and strengthen the faith of our youth and young adults," said Bishop Paul Hinder of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, which is based in the United Arab Emirates.
He said many youth in the region cannot participate in international gatherings like World Youth Day and Youth Arise because of the expense.
Because of the conference, he said, "we have now ensured that the Catholic youth in Arabia don't miss out on the fellowship with other Catholic youth."