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A SPECIAL medal was presented by Pope Francis to His Majesty King Hamad to mark his landmark visit to the kingdom.
“At the top of the medal is an image of the Tree of Life, located on the highest hill in Bahrain, which has stood for more than 400 years in an arid desert location,” said a statement by the Holy See Press Office.
“At the base of the tree is a symbol of Qal’at Al Bahrain, an impressive archaeological site that was the capital of the Dilmun, one of the most important ancient civilisations in the region.
“At the bottom, in the centre, there is the statue of Our Lady of Arabia, located in the apse of the recently built cathedral of the same name.
The medal
“On the left is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia built on land donated by HM the King and of which the foundation stone was laid thanks to Bishop Camillo Ballin.
“On the right is the Sacred Heart Church, the first Catholic church in the entire Arabian Gulf area, built and formally consecrated between 1939 and 1940.
“Along the rim, there is the Latin inscription of the visit, and at the bottom, the date of the Apostolic Journey to the kingdom.”
The commemorative medal was designed by Amalia Mistichelli.
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