Abu Dhabi, capital city of the UAE, now has two Catholic churches.

St. Paul’s Church was inaugurated this weekend, and will serve the significant Christian population of Mussaffah, the suburb on the outskirts of the Abu Dhabi where many of the blue-collar expatriates live.

The Catholics, many of them Filipinos or Indians, living around Mussaffah had been faced with a drive of up to 20 miles to attend St. Joseph’s Church on Abu Dhabi Island.

The island also has an Anglican church (where I spend Christmas Eve) as well as an evangelical church.

Which is not at all universal, in this part of the world. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, next door, the public practice of any religion other than Islam is banned.

The more liberal policies in the UAE are thought to reflect the decisions of one influential man, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, the country’s first president.

The National covered the opening of the new church, which is a big building, able to seat 1,200.

(Get a look at the church via this photo gallery.)

The man in the kandura is the unofficial mayor of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, minister of culture, youth and community development, and the man who seems to be front and center whenever Emirati culture intersects with expat culture.

(He also has some of the best facial hair in the country.)

Sheikh Nahyan said: “Our leadership knows its true wealth and accepts the obligation to respect and understand the many religious beliefs of the people living in this country. I believe that each of you can provide evidence that the leaders of the UAE are fulfilling that obligation.”

The inaugural event drew a cardinal and a bishop, which is pretty impressive.

The story notes that Roman Catholics make up about 900,000 of the 10 million or so people in the UAE. Or nearly 10 percent. Add the other Christians, and the number has to be over 10 percent.

To be sure, the UAE has boundaries for other religions. Churches here do not have spires or steeples. They do not have crosses visible from the outside of the building. The church buildings do not have the usual “cross” shape; generally, they tend to be square or rectangular.

It is illegal to proselytize and Bibles cannot be brought into the country in large numbers. And, still, one of the seven capital crimes in the UAE is “apostasy” — when Muslims convert to another religion.

(Though we have not heard of any executions for that in our nearly six years in-country.)

At any rate, the UAE is a paragon of religious tolerance, compared to the biggest country on the peninsula, Saudi Arabia.

You may safely assume that Christians appreciate the difference.