Bishop Bernard Giovanni Gremoli passes away

Manama : Bishop Bernard Giovanni Gremoli, Bishop Emeritus of the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia, passed away yesterday in Florence, Italy.

He was 91. The funeral service will be held at the Capuchin Friary of Montughi, Florence on Saturday at 9.30 am.  Bishop Gremoli is remembered as a pastor full of zeal and energy in the service of God’s people in the Arabian peninsula, where he served for 29 years as Apostolic Vicar of the largest jurisdiction of the world.

He was untiring in his efforts to unite the Catholic faithful who came from many communities and faith traditions. Since his retirement in 2005, Bishop Gremoli lived at the Capuchin Friary at Montughi in Florence, Italy. 

“He was a very paternal man, knew how to encourage the people and the priests.His generosity was proverbial. Even though he didn’t know Arabic, he succeeded to have very good relations with the rulers of the Emirates. I met him few times because when I became bishop, he retired and left the Gulf. He had a vision of the ministry he had to do. So, he transferred his seat from Aden to Abu Dhabi and it was the right decision, Bishop Camillo Ballin, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia,” said.