Religious leaders from across the kingdom gathered at St Christopher’s Cathedral yesterday morning for a special online prayer for peace service that also celebrated the unity and tolerance of Bahrain and its leadership.
The service was held in Manama in co-ordination with the This Is Bahrain community initiative and witnessed participation from representatives of St Christopher’s Cathedral, the National Evangelical Church, Mar Thoma Church, Sacred Heart Church, Saint Mary’s Indian Orthodox Cathedral, the Seafarers Mission, the Baha’i Community, the Bohra Community, the Hindu Temple and others.
This Is Bahrain chairperson Betsy Mathieson praised Bahrain and its resilient people and leadership, calling for the end of suffering from all sides.
“Bahrain has always shown that in moments of challenge, we respond not with fear, but with faith, unity and calm resolve,” said Ms Mathieson.
“In this kingdom, we do not panic or flee from danger – we draw strength from our unity, standing together as one family, supporting one another with confidence, courage and trust.
“Today, as Bahrainis mark Eid and many expatriates prepare for Easter, we come together as one family to pray for peace, stability and protection for all.
“I express our deepest gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad and to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, whose visionary leaderships have ensured that religious freedom is not only protected but also cherished in our kingdom.
“In this Year of Isa Al Kabeer, we remember the foundations laid by his courageous leadership – foundations that established Bahrain as a land where people of all faiths can worship freely, openly and with mutual respect.
“That legacy lives on today in the harmony we witness across our churches, temples, mosques and communities, and that freedom is what allows us to come together today.”
Due to the overwhelming demand, many people from across the kingdom reportedly could not log into the Zoom event, as the online meeting room filled up within minutes.
In order to give people a chance to watch the prayers and leave their own wishes, the cathedral uploaded the full event to its YouTube channel @StChristophersCathedral, later in the day.
St Christopher’s Cathedral and Awali Church Council chair David Axtell stated that it was a great honour to be invited to assist This Is Bahrain in hosting and facilitating the special service to pray for those leading and supporting Bahrain.
“Since the onset of the war, the cathedral and Awali Church have been hosting daily online services,” he said. “It was a delight to be able to extend this to other faiths and faithful individuals.
“We shared prayers with people around the world including Australia, Thailand and India, and even North and South America, ignoring time zones to pray for us and with us. We’re a body of believers building bridges not walls.”
The service, led by the cathedral’s Reverend Martin Brown, included prayers and well wishes from several prominent religious figures from the kingdom and beyond, and was held in multiple languages, including English, Arabic and Hindi.
Reverend Brown leading the service
This included Seafarers Bahrain chaplain Father Franklin Isaac, Priest Vedic Sanatana Dharma Vijay Mukhiya, Vice Chairman of National Evangelical Church Pastor Isaac Inayat, and more.
It also included video messages and special prayers from the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, the Right Reverend Sean Semple and Worldwide President of The Mothers Union Kathleen Snow.
Bishop Sean called for building relationships rather than animosity, by ‘one small deliberate graceful act at a time’ in order to end conflicts, not just in the Middle East but also the rest of the world.
Ms Snow, meanwhile, prayed for the people of Bahrain and the region, and for leaders across the world to find peace in their hearts and their minds.
Reverend Brown told the GDN that followers of many faiths participated in the event because they shared a desire. “We are praying for peace,” he said. “We are praying for all the people of Bahrain, the GCC, and everybody in the region affected by this war.
“We have been praying every day in the cathedral, for the people of not just Bahrain and the GCC, but also Iran, Israel and Iraq.
“People should live together, and in Bahrain, people live together happily. Different faiths of multiple communities come together in Bahrain every day.
“Nobody wants war. We all want to see peace.”
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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