The Maronite Patriarch in Lebanon Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rahi traveled to Doha, Qatar on Thursday for a pastoral visit that will last four days, according to
. Today morning, he laid the foundation stone for the Saint Charbel Church which will be the first Maronite church in the Gulf region. The patriarch thanked the Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad for offering a plot of land for the construction of the church which he hopes will strengthen the relationship between Qatar and Lebanon. There are between 25,000 and 30,000 Lebanese nationals in Qatar. Most of them reside in the Emirates for business purposes. Note that there are more than 30 churches in the Gulf and most of them are Catholic.
