Bahrain's cultural diversity and religious tolerance will be in the global spotlight as the red carpet will be rolled out to welcome Pope Francis tomorrow as part of his historic four-day visit to the kingdom.
The Pontiff will be in Bahrain until Sunday at the invitation of His Majesty King Hamad.
His Holiness arrives tomorrow noon and will pay a courtesy visit to His Majesty, take part in the welcome ceremony and meet officials, diplomats and civil society representatives.
Meetings
He will be attending a series of meetings including the closing ceremony of the first-ever “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence” on Friday, which will see around 200 interfaith leaders gathered to promote fraternity.
Pope Francis will be joined at the forum by Al Azhar Grand Imam Dr Shaikh Ahmad Al Tayyeb, who will also be visiting Bahrain at the invitation of the King.
Pope Francis and Dr Al Tayyeb will be chairing the 16th meeting of Muslim Council of Elders forum that will review global challenges, including climate changes, lack of food and water, and other humanitarian catastrophes, and the role of religious leaders in addressing them through an Islamic-Christian dialogue.
The highlight of the Pope’s visit is the Papal Mass on Saturday at the Bahrain National Stadium and a ‘Meeting with the Youth’ at Sacred Heart School in the evening.
More than 20,000 spaces are so far reserved for the Mass and more than 600 volunteers ready to assist as part of logistics support.
The GDN reported previously that the Pope will be arriving with a delegation of 25 leading members of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as helpers, translators and media team members.
Bahrain is the seventh Arab country and the 58th internationally in the series of visits the Pope has undertaken since his election on March 12, 2003.
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, the daily newspaper of the Vatican City, and Vatican Radio-Vatican News, said that the visit stems from the invitation that His Majesty had addressed to Pope Francis, first in a more informal manner and then in a personal letter.
He said the closing ceremony of the forum on Friday at Sakhir Palace highlights “a sign of unity at a particularly delicate, complex, and in some ways, tragic moment in our history.
“It is an invitation to dialogue, an invitation to encounter between East and West, in a reality, such as that of Bahrain, which is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-religious reality,” added Cardinal Parolin.
“Hence the ability to live together, the ability to collaborate even in a composite reality such as that which characterises that country.
“There will also be, on that same occasion, two meetings, one of the Muslim Council of Elders – which is an organisation representing Muslim religious leaders who are committed to dialogue and respect for religions – and then also an ecumenical meeting where many representatives from different countries will converge.”
Cardinal Parolin said despite Islam being the main religion in Bahrain, the Christian community makes up about 10 per cent of the population and there are between 80,000 and 100,000 Catholics in Bahrain.
“Relations with the Holy See were established in 2000 and I think they are good,” he added.
“On the part of the State authorities, there has always been respect and co-operation with Catholics, both the faithful and the Apostolic Vicar.
“The Pope’s visit will also serve precisely to meet this community and to encourage it in its life and witness.
On Sunday, the 85-year-old Pontiff will attend a prayer meeting and Angelus with priests, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastoral workers at the Sacred Heart Church in Manama.
Pope Francis donated the foundation stone of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali that opened its doors last year.
“There is this very close bond through this symbolic stone that forms the foundation of this church,” added Cardinal Parolin.
“This church is important, it is important for the community, obviously, which needs places of worship where it can exercise, live its faith at the level of celebration.
“But it is also important as a sign of that respect and attention, which I mentioned earlier, on the part of the country’s authorities towards the Christian community.”
Meanwhile, Apostolic Administrator of Northern Arabia Bishop Paul Hinder said the Pope will find a multi-national, multi-linguistic Church and a country with a culture that is very open to foreigners.
“Why Bahrain? Because it’s a place that has traditionally had good relationship between the government and the Churches,” Bishop Hinder told the Vatican News yesterday.
“It’s also an ecumenical visit to Bahrain.”
Those who wish to attend the public Papal Mass on Saturday at the Bahrain National Stadium can still register by visiting bahrainpapalvisit.org or calling the helpline, 17888444.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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