A special logo will mark the historic visit by Pope Francis to Bahrain, the Vatican has said.
It consists of the flags of Bahrain and the Holy See in the shape of two hands jointly raised to the Creator in a plea for peace, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said at a Press conference.
The Pope is visiting Bahrain from November 3 to 6, at the invitation of His Majesty King Hamad.
He will attend the closing ceremony of the first-ever “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence”, which will see around 200 interfaith leaders gathered to promote fraternity.
Bruni said the olive branch in the middle of the log symbolises the fruit of peace as the two different nations encounter each other in the spirit of human fraternity and goodwill.
The branch also demonstrates their earnest desire to spread the fruit of peace in an increasingly fragmented world.
In the logo, the words ‘Pope Francis’ are coloured in blue to denote that the Papal Journey is entrusted to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title ‘Our Lady of Arabia’, the patroness of the Cathedral, gift of Bahrain to the Roman Catholic Church in the country, Bruni said.
The visit represents a precious step along the path of fraternity and interreligious dialogue, he said.
Pope Francis will be the first Pope to visit Bahrain.
As the shepherd of the Universal Church, Pope Francis will meet the Catholic community, Bruni said.
Four meetings of the Pope’s seven public encounters on the four-day visit will be with various sanctions of the local Catholic Church, including young people, clergy and religious, and Catholics from neighbouring countries, the Holy See official said.
“As Pope Francis visits Bahrain next week, local Catholics and leaders of other religions await his words of hope and encouragement on the path to peace in our world currently marred by conflict,” Bruni was quoted by Vatican News as telling reporters.
He noted Bahrain’s interest in serving humanity, and stressed that an international conference on dialogue among civilisations and cultures was held in Manama in 2014, during which the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain was adopted.
The Declaration is an important document that reaffirms respect for human rights and calls for strengthening dialogue, serving peace and promoting pluralism, he said.
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