Roman Catholics (RC) and fellow Christians living in Bahrain are being invited to participate in the RC Church’s Jubilee Year 2025, a special year of ‘forgiveness and reconciliation’ held once in 25 years, writes Naman Arora.
This year’s festivities are being held under the theme of ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’
“This Jubilee will be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God,” Catholic Pope Francis, who is currently seriously ill in hospital, declared at the beginning of the jubilee.
The display commemorating the jubilee outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali
“As part of the celebrations, Catholics are asked to make a pilgrimage to Rome, participate in a local celebration of the jubilee or obtain the ‘Jubilee Indulgence’ through works of mercy and penance.”
The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, which covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Bishop Aldo Berardi, also designated five churches as special Jubilee Churches in the region, including the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali.
“We have received numerous Pilgrims of Hope from the Gulf region and beyond,” added the Cathedral’s Rev Fr Desideri Chuwa.
In addition, the RC Church in Bahrain is working with the Italian Embassy to co-ordinate a pilgrimage to Rome in Italy for communities and ministries in the kingdom who can make the journey.
Those unable to make the trip are being invited to ‘become a guiding bright light of hope’ by ‘feeding the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visiting the sick, visiting prisoners, giving alms to the poor and burying the dead’, added Friar Chuwa.
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