06/09/2026
🔴 HIKMA FM FACT CHECK
VIRAL VIDEO CLAIMING SAUDI ARABIA IS ABOUT TO BUILD CHURCHES IS OLD AND MISLEADING
HIKMA FM NEWS | FACT CHECK
A video circulating on social media is once again attracting attention, with claims that Saudi Arabia has reached an agreement with the Vatican to build Christian churches in the Kingdom.
HIKMA FM has checked the claim and found that the video is not a new development.
The footage dates back to April 2018, when the late Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, then President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, visited Saudi Arabia and met with Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League.
The two sides did sign a cooperation agreement, but the agreement was focused on interreligious dialogue, cooperation and strengthening relations between Muslims and Christians. It also provided for continued meetings and cooperation between the two organizations.
❌ WAS THERE AN AGREEMENT TO BUILD CHURCHES?
Reports emerged in 2018 claiming that the agreement would allow churches to be constructed in Saudi Arabia. However, the claim was disputed at the time.
The Vatican said that no agreement had been reached to build churches in Saudi Arabia, while the original cooperation announcement did not state that churches would be constructed. A later fact-check also traced the same viral footage to April 2018 and concluded that the church-building claim attached to it was false.
Importantly, current information in 2026 still describes Saudi Arabia as maintaining major restrictions on public non-Muslim worship. We have found no credible new Saudi government or Vatican announcement confirming that the viral video represents a new decision to begin constructing churches.
⚠️ HIKMA FM VERDICT: MISLEADING / OLD VIDEO
The meeting shown in the video really happened, but presenting the footage today as evidence that Saudi Arabia has just agreed or is now about to build churches is misleading.
The footage is approximately eight years old, and the agreement shown concerned cooperation and interfaith dialogue — not a confirmed programme to construct churches.
HIKMA FM encourages the public to verify old videos and reports before sharing them as breaking news.
📻 HIKMA FM — Informing the Community With Facts
QUESTION TO OUR FOLLOWERS:
Have you received this video on WhatsApp, Facebook or TikTok believing it was new? Share your thoughts respectfully below.
By Hajj Mudasir Osuman.
