STATEMENT ON ARCHBISHOP TAURAN'S VISIT TO KUWAIT

VATICAN CITY, NOV 26, 1996 (VIS) - Following is the statement made this afternoon by Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls on the just- concluded visit to Kuwait by Archbishop Tauran:

"Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran returned yesterday afternoon from a three-day visit to Kuwait, during which he met with the Catholic community present in the country as well as with the government authorities.

"In the diverse meetings with the faithful and on the occasions of the celebration of solemn holy Masses, the secretary for Relations with States was able to get to know a living and active local Church, notwithstanding that it is marked by strong cultural diversities, as far as provenance is concerned. With the exception of a few Kuwaiti families, the 100,000 Catholics are foreign workers, coming mainly from India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Arab countries and Western countries.

"The Catholic community of Kuwait enjoys the freedom to profess its own religion, as is foreseen by the country's constitution.

"In meetings with civil authorities, Archbishop Tauran underlined numerous times this positive fact, all the more important if placed in relation with other situations in the region, where Christians do not enjoy the same freedom.

"After being received by the emir, Archbishop Tauran met the crown prince and prime minister, the foreign minister, the minister of information and that of defense, in his role as president of the Committee for Prisoners of War, whose fate is still unknown. He also visited parliament and met the president of the assembly.

"As far as the Church's situation is concerned, several concrete questions were confronted, such as the number of priests in the country - at the moment there are only seven - and the development of relations between the Holy See and the State of Kuwait.

"Also faced were other matters of a more general character which are continuously the object of the Holy Father's concern: defense of life, peace, justice, solidarity, basic human rights."
OP/VISIT KUWAIT/NAVARRO-VALLS:TAURAN VIS 961126 (330)