Tributes poured in from across Bahrain following the death of Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, early yesterday morning in Vatican City.
He was 88.
The news was confirmed by the Holy See Press Office at 7.35am (8.35am Bahrain time).
Many in the kingdom reflected on the historic papal visit in November 2022 when he highlighted the importance of peaceful coexistence and interfaith dialogue.
“We are all deeply saddened by the news of the Holy Father’s passing; however, we are also glad that he has entered eternal life,” said Sacred Heart Catholic Church parish priest Father Francis P Joseph.
Father Francis
“We were blessed several years ago, when we had an opportunity to spend four days with him, thanks to the efforts of Bahrain government.
“He was a man who truly embodied the idea of religious coexistence by being accepting of everyone and in turn, was loved and accepted by all.”
The Catholic community in Bahrain will be holding two memorial masses in honour of Pope Francis.
The Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Awali will be hosting a mass at 6.30pm today while the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manama will hold a mass at 7pm tomorrow.
At both these events condolences will be accepted by Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia vicar The Most Reverend Bishop Aldo Berardi.
Bishop Aldo
During his visit to Bahrain in 2022, the first ever to the kingdom by a Catholic Pope and the second in the region, Pope Francis participated in the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue, met His Majesty King Hamad and conducted mass at the Bahrain National Stadium.
His journey took place with the motto ‘Peace on earth to people of goodwill’.
More than 28,000 people from across the region gathered to witness the open-air mass, many of them arriving from around the region to attend one of the largest Christian gatherings in the kingdom’s history.
Pope Francis also participated in the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence, which drew approximately 200 leaders of multiple faiths and was organised by the then King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence in co-operation with the Muslim Council of Elders and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.
Pope Francis and Muslim Council of Elders chairman and Al Azhar Grand Imam Dr Shaikh Ahmed Al Tayyeb also chaired the 16th meeting of Muslim Council of Elders forum which reviewed global challenges, including climate change, lack of food and water and the role of religious leaders in addressing them through an Islamic-Christian dialogue.
“Here in our Apostolic Vicariate, we hold a special closeness to him, having been graced by his historic visit in 2022 in Bahrain, a moment that continues to bless and inspire us,” Bishop Aldo added.
“His encouragement to the often-hidden Church in the Arabian Peninsula gave us strength and joy.
“We were reminded that even in the desert, the seeds of faith grow and bear fruit.”
In October 2023, His Majesty visited the Pope at the Vatican.
Pope Francis presented the King with a tryptic of the Pontificate medallions, an olive branch sculpture in bronze, last year’s World Day of Peace message and the Document on Human Fraternity.
In turn, His Majesty presented Pope Francis with a photographic volume immortalising the Pope’s visit to Bahrain, and a book documenting the construction of the Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Awali.
Previously, in February 2020, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, visited Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, conveying the King’s greetings.
The King’s first meeting with Pope Francis was in May 2014, when he presented the Catholic pontiff with a model of the Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, the ground-breaking for which took place in June 2018.
“Pope Francis will be forever remembered for his deep humility, pastoral heart, and unwavering commitment to the Gospel,” Bishop Aldo noted.
“From the moment he stepped onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica in 2013 with a simple greeting – ‘Buona sera’ – he captured the world’s attention not with grandeur, but with gentleness.
“He taught us by example what it means to be a Church that goes forth – a Church that reaches out to the peripheries, embraces the forgotten, and walks alongside the wounded.”
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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