Vatican, October 29 (BNA) The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See said that the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Bahrain in November represents a precious step on the path of brotherhood and interfaith dialogue.
At a press conference at the Press Office of the Holy See before the historic trip to the kingdom on November 3 and 6 at the invitation of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Matteo Bruni gave journalists an overview of the papal visit.
The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See said that Pope Francis will be the first Pope to visit Bahrain.
He will attend the closing ceremony of the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence”, which will see around 200 religious leaders gather to promote brotherhood.
As the pastor of the global church, Bruni said, Pope Francis will meet with the Catholic community
Bruni said four of the Pope’s seven general meetings in the four-day visit will be with various punishments from the local Catholic Church, including young people, clergy and Catholics from neighboring countries.
“As Pope Francis visits Bahrain next week, local Catholics and leaders of other faiths await his words of hope and encouragement on the path to peace in our currently stricken world,” Bruni was quoted by Vatican News as telling reporters.
He noted Bahrain’s interest in serving humanity, and stressed the holding of an international conference for dialogue between civilizations and cultures in Manama in 2014, during which the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain was adopted.
The Declaration is an important document that reaffirms respect for human rights and calls for the promotion of dialogue, the service of peace and the strengthening of pluralism.
The visit to Bahrain will be Pope Francis’ 39th Apostolic Journey abroad, and will bring him to the 58th country the Pope visits.
The Kingdom is a country in which different ethnic and religious groups coexist, has a long tradition of religious tolerance and is open to interfaith dialogue as indicated, among other things, by the fact that Bahrain is home to many non-Muslim places of worship, with two Catholic churches among the 18 officially registered churches. .
The first Catholic church erected in the modern era is located in the Gulf region of Bahrain: the Sacred Heart Church was built in 1939 in Manama, on a plot of land donated by the Emir to the Catholic Church.
A second church was erected in Al-Awali, 20 kilometers south of the capital, Manama, on a 9,000 square meter plot granted to the church by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in 2013.
Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral is currently the largest Catholic church in the region, with a capacity of 2,300 people. The project, vigorously advocated by the late Archbishop Camilo Ballin, at the time Apostolic Vicar for Northern Arabia, was launched in 2014.
The modern-style church was consecrated on December 10, 2021 by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagli, Head of the Missionary Department, who on the same day conveyed a message from Pope Francis to His Majesty King Hamad who reiterated his invitation to the Pope to visit Bahrain. .
A special slogan will represent the historic visit of Pope Francis. It consists of the flags of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Holy See in the form of hands raised together to the Creator in a plea for peace.
The olive branch in the middle symbolizes the fruit of peace where the two different peoples meet in the spirit of human brotherhood and goodwill.
The branch also shows their earnest desire to spread the fruits of peace in an increasingly fragmented world.
In the logo, the words “Pope Francis” are colored blue to indicate that the papal journey is entrusted to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, under the title “Our Lady of Arabia,” patron saint of the cathedral, a gift from Our Lady. The Kingdom of Bahrain to the Catholic Church in the country.