Published: Sat. five 2022 November, 20: 27
Last updated: Sat. five 2022 November, 20: 31
About 30,000 flag-waving faithful attended an open-air Mass organized by Pope Francis on Saturday mostly in Bahrain.
The Pope greeted with dances and flowers inside the College of the Sacred Heart, where he suggested that young people “adopt the culture of care. “
The pontiff, leader of the world’s 1. 3 billion Catholics, is at the time in the Gulf region, home to millions of migrant workers, which has a large Catholic community.
Matricia, a Filipino who lives in Dammam in neighboring Saudi Arabia, felt “lucky” to be at Saturday morning Mass.
“I feel blessed because we are fortunate to be at this sacred event, where the pope will give Mass to all of us,” she said.
At the service, some worshippers had tears in their eyes waiting to see the 85-year-old at Bahrain’s National Stadium, the kingdom’s corridor.
Francis, who uses a wheelchair and cane because of knee problems, smiled and waved to the crowd and kissed the youths of his popemobile as he walked to a white level against the background of a giant golden cross.
“This same land is a living symbol of coexistence in diversity and makes it a symbol of our world, marked by the constant migration of peoples and by the pluralism of ideas, customs and traditions,” he said in a speech.
Pope Francis’ 39th overseas scale is largely aimed at building ties with Muslim leaders.
On Friday he met with the Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al Azhar Mosque and the Muslim Council of Elders.
He attended a service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, the largest in the Arabian Peninsula with capacity for more than 2000 people.
Hundreds of migrants were part of the congregation that received him.