Muscat is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was 1.4 million as of September 2018. The metropolitan area spans approximately 3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi) and includes six provinces called wilayats. Known since the early 1st century AD as an important trading port between the west and the east, Muscat was ruled by various indigenous tribes as well as foreign powers such as the Persians, the Portuguese Empire and the Ottoman Empire at various points in its history. A regional military power in the 18th century, Muscat's influence extended as far as East Africa and Zanzibar. As an important port-town in the Gulf of Oman, Muscat attracted foreign tradesmen and settlers such as the Persians, Balochs and Sindhis. Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in 1970, Muscat has experienced rapid infrastructural development that has led to the growth of a vibrant economy and a multi-ethnic society. Muscat is termed as a Beta - Global City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
Ruwi is a commercial hub and the main business area of Muscat, the capital of Oman. Attractions in Ruwi include a variety of multi-confessional religious buildings, a National Museum, a clock tower, and a park. The population of Ruwi is 85,601.
The Catholic Church in Oman is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia is an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The vicar apostolic of the vicariate is Paolo Martinelli, OFM Cap. It was first established in 1888 and took its current name in 2011. The see of the vicar apostolic is in St. Joseph's Cathedral in Abu Dhabi. Since 1916 it has been in the care of the Capuchins of Florence.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia is a Catholic apostolic vicariate with official seat in Bahrain.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt, or in full - of Alexandria of Egypt-Heliopolis-Port Said is the Roman Catholic Apostolic vicariate in Egypt, named after its cathedral see in Alexandria, a port city and former Catholic patriarchate.
Christianity is the religion of 6.5% of the population of Oman, which equals to about 300,000 people. Ninety Christian congregations exist in the country. There is little official record of Christianity in Oman until the arrival of the Portuguese in 1504, but ruins from what is thought to have been a church were located in Suhar. Additionally, Chronicle of Arbela tells of a diocese at Bet Mazunaye, an area which included Oman. However, the authenticity of the sixth-century text is disputed amongst scholars.
St. Joseph's Cathedral is the seat of the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia and is one of the four Catholic churches in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi besides St. Paul's Church in Musaffah, St. Mary's Church in Al Ain and St. John the Baptist Church in Ruwais. The first church was built in 1962 in the present Corniche on a plot of land donated by Sheikh Shakhbut, the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
The Conference of the Latin Bishops of the Arabic Regions (CELRA) is an episcopal conference of the Catholic Church which gathers the Latin Church bishops in the Arab States of the Middle East, North Africa, East Africa and Cyprus.
Paul Hinder, O.F.M. Cap. is a Swiss Catholic bishop. He is the Vicar Apostolic Emeritus of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. Bishop Hinder was previously appointed as an Auxiliary Bishop in the former Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia on 30 January 2004.
Darsait is a residential locality in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. It is known for its wide array of residences ranging from small studio apartments to single-family villas. Darsait has a population around 150 to 200 thousand. It is also one of the more prominent localities of Muscat. This is where a majority of the Indian population that has migrated to Muscat over the years stay. Therefore it is also known as Little India of Muscat.
The St. Francis of Assisi Church or the Proto-Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, or simply Church of St. Francis, is a religious building that is affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located in the city of Aden, in the Asian country of Yemen.
The St. Mary Help of Christians Church or simply Sanaa Catholic church is a religious building that is located in the city of Sanaa, the capital of the Asian country of Yemen.
St. Francis Xavier Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in the town of Salalah, Oman.
Francisco Montecillo Padilla is a Philippine prelate of the Catholic Church who has worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1985. He represented the Holy See, either as Apostolic Nuncio or Apostolic Delegate, to the several countries on the Arabian Peninsula. On 17 April 2020, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Guatemala.
The Apostolic Delegation to the Arabian Peninsula, originally the Apostolic Delegation to the Red Sea Region, represents the interests of the Holy See to officials of the Catholic Church, civil society, and government offices to several nations in the region. The Holy See and the governments of those countries have not established diplomatic relations and the position of Apostolic Delegate is not a diplomatic one, though the Delegate is a member of the diplomatic service of the Holy See.
The Apostolic Nunciature to United Arab Emirates is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in United Arab Emirates. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. The Apostolic Nuncio to United Arab Emirates was also the Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait and resided in Kuwait City until 2022.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia was an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The last Apostolic Vicar is Msgr. Paul Hinder, OFM Cap.
Eugene Mattioli OFM Cap. is an Italian missionary, who was the longest serving Catholic missionary in Arabia and completed 60 years of service in the Vicariate and retired on 30 June 2018. He is one of the people credited with establishing the presence of the Catholic church in the Arabian Peninsula.
The Apostolic Nunciature to the Sultanate of Oman is the ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church and the diplomatic post of the Holy See in Oman established in February 2023.
Oman 
