To commemorate the 1,500th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Alexander and his companions, a special jubilee has been proclaimed in the two Apostolic Vicariates of the North and South of the Arabian Peninsula. The Pope also granted a plenary indulgence for this purpose, which lasts from October 24 this year to October 23, 2024.
(Vatican News Network) To commemorate the 1,500th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Areta and his companions of the Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula, the Apostolic Vicariate of the North and the Apostolic Vicariate of the South have declared a special jubilee. To celebrate this historic anniversary, Pope Francis has issued a plenary indulgence, which will last from October 24 this year to October 23, 2024.
Open the Holy Door
Bishop Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of the Northern Arabian Peninsula, will preside over a solemn mass for this jubilee at 11 a.m. local time on November 4 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali, Bahrain. Before the Mass, there will be a ceremony to open the Holy Door. On November 9, at 6 pm, Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of the Southern Arabian Peninsula, will open the Holy Door of St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Martyrdom of St. Alexander and His Companions
Saint Alexander was born in 427 and was the governor of the ancient Christian city of Najran in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. During the reign of King Dhu Nuwas of Himyar (present-day Yemen), large-scale persecution of Christians began, with churches burned, believers forced to apostatize, and those who refused to renounce their Christian faith executed. .
After Du Nois conquered Nocilon, he ordered the priests, deacons, virgins and believers to be thrown into pits and burned alive. All men, women and children were massacred: a five-year-old child was martyred with his mother by jumping into the fire to be with her. The governor Alexander, who was over 95 years old, was beheaded in 523 along with more than a hundred other Christians. The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia wrote in a bulletin that more than 4,000 Christians were killed during the massacres “for their firm faith in Christ crucified.”
Bishop Berardi: Today we are witnesses of the risen Christ
“The Christian predecessors in this land have set an example for us,” Bishop Berardi told Fides. “In this era, it is our turn to be witnesses of the risen Christ.” Inspired by the early martyrs of Arabia , Christians in the Arabian Peninsula today are called to be “daily martyrs” who constantly bear witness to Christ and His message in their daily lives. Life is an earthly journey. Finally, Bishop Berardi concluded, the celebration of this Jubilee “offers us an opportunity to better understand the mission of our Catholic Church in this region”.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia includes Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, while the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia includes the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman.
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2023-10-21 12:05:52
