MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — About 30,000 flag-waving worshippers attended an outdoor Mass organized by Pope Francis Saturday in a predominantly Muslim Bahrain marked by a small protest by relatives of those sentenced to death.
Hajer Mansoor, mother of jailed activist Sayed Nizar al-Wadaei, held a sign that read: “There is no tolerance for us in Bahrain. “
A spokesman said: “There have been no arrests or detentions similar to the papal visit.
The Pope, who did not prevent the demonstrators from communicating, greeted with dances and flowers inside the Sacred Heart School, where he suggested that young people “adopt the culture of care. “
The pontiff, leader of the world’s 1. 3 billion Catholics, is once in the Muslim-ruled Gulf, home to millions of migrant workers, which adds up to a giant 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.
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 the pluralism of ideas, customs and traditions,” he said in a speech.
But while their discussion focused on Islam, it was marked by accusations of rights abuses in the Gulf nation.
Rights teams have long invoked discrimination, repression and harassment through Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim leaders who oppose Shiite opposition figures and activists.
Human Rights Watch accused Bahraini courts of imposing death sentences on the basis of “grossly unfair trials. “
In a speech after his arrival Thursday, the pontiff spoke of the “right to life” and the “need to guarantee this right, adding to those who are punished, whose lives will not have to be taken from them. “
A government spokesman said Tuesday that Bahrain “does not tolerate discrimination” and “prides itself on its values of tolerance. “
Said “no individual” is prosecuted “for his devout or political beliefs”, but stresses “the duty to investigate” others who “incite, promote or glorify violence or hatred”.
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, one of the main governments of Sunni Islam and members of the Muslim Council of Elders.
He also attended a service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, the largest in the Arabian Peninsula that can hold more than 2,000 people. Hundreds of immigrants were part of the congregation that received him.
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