OXFORD, England - The bishop who administers the Church in Kuwait criticized legislation that would restrict Christian places of worship in the country.

"There'll be problems if the government adopts this proposal; it's out of step with the traditions of Kuwait, which seeks to be an open, tolerant country welcoming other religions besides Islam," said Italian-born Bishop Camillo Ballin, apostolic administrator of Kuwait.

Such proposals come "from ideologies which want to divide the world between Muslims and non-Muslims," he told Catholic News Service March 12.