A Catholic Church was seriously damaged during a Saudi-led airstrike on May 11
th, according to
Middle East Concern. The Church of the Immaculate Conception had been occupied by Houthi rebels since the beginning of May. Before the civil unrest, weekly masses were celebrated in the Church of the Immaculate Conception. In total, there are four churches in Yemen, three Catholic and one Anglican church. All of them are in Aden and mainly serve foreign workers who are predominantly from India and the Philippines. However, as a result of the deteriorated security situation, none of the churches are functioning as such anymore. There is only
one Catholic priest left in the country, after the others were evacuated. His residence, which adjoins the church, is also damaged. Fortunately, he was not at home during the aerial bombing.
Henriette Kats, persecution analyst for WWR, says: "Though it is not likely that the airstrike is primarily anti-Christian in nature, it is a blow to the visibility of the Christian minority in Yemen. The attack was apparently specifically aimed at Houthi rebels who occupied the building. Moreover, it also hits a symbol of Christian civilization in the Arabian Peninsula where churches are scarce. Even more regrettable is that no church services had been held in the church for some time already, due to the unsafe local situation. In spite of this, Christian gatherings have not stopped all together. Though power cuts and shortage of fuel make it hard to be in contact with one another, national and international believers have remained active in gathering to encourage one another and reach out to the community around them."
