By Katie Yoder
Pope Francis spoke out against the death penalty and the desire to guarantee the right to life during his entire vacation in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
“I express my appreciation for the foreign assemblies and assembly opportunities that this Kingdom organizes and promotes, with specific emphasis on the issues of respect, tolerance and devout freedom,” he said Thursday on his vacation in the Muslim island country of Persia.
“These are above all commitments that must be implemented consistently so that freedom of devotion is global and not limited to freedom of religion; that equality of dignity and equality of opportunity are specifically identified for each organisation and for each person; that there is no form of discrimination and that basic human rights are not violated or promoted.
These commitments begin, he said, with life.
“I think first of all of the right to life, of wanting to guarantee that right, added to those who are sanctioned, who will not have to have their lives taken from them,” he continued.
The 85-year-old pontiff made the comments at his assembly with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Royal Palace in Sakhir on his Nov. 3-6 apostolic adventure in Bahrain. He is the first pope to stop in the country, located to the east. from Saudi Arabia and west to Qatar.
His will culminate in his participation in the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence”, where he will deliver the final speech.
Pope Francis’ comments Thursday echoed the theme of his visit: “Peace on earth to men of will,” encouraged through Luke 2:14.
“I am here, in this land of the Tree of Life, as a sower of peace, to live those days of encounter and participate in a forum of discussion between East and West in the call to non-violent human coexistence. “”These days mark a valuable step in the adventure of friendship that has intensified in recent years with devout Islamic leaders, a fraternal adventure that, under the gaze of heaven, seeks to bring peace on earth. “
Bahrain has a total population of 1. 5 million, according to a 2022 estimate through the CIA’s World Factbook. While more than 70 percent Muslim, there are about 161,000 Catholics, many of whom are immigrants from Asia, the Philippines and India, according to 2020 Vatican statistics. The country is home to two Catholic churches and 20 Catholic priests.
During his address, Pope Francis addressed a worldwide audience and expressed his fear of “the great spread of indifference and mutual distrust, the emergence of rivalries and conflicts that we hoped belonged to the past and the bureaucracy of populism, extremism and imperialism. “jeopardize everyone’s safety.
In light of this, he hoped to bring peace.
“May we never allow the opportunities of civilizations, religions and cultures to evaporate, or the roots of our humanity to dry up and live no longer!” he reassured.
He also called for environmental coverage and highlighted the “global labor crisis,” saying that “we want to recognize that in our world, unemployment levels are still too high and much of the situation is dehumanizing. “
In his for peace, he condemned the war.
“War brings out the worst in man: selfishness, violence and dishonesty. Because war, each and every war, brings with it the death of truth,” he stressed. spending on investments in the fight against hunger and lack of health and education. “
Citing the “forgotten war” in Yemen, he pleaded: “Let this be the end of the arms clash!Let us give ourselves, and concretely, to the construction of peace!
He concluded: “I am here as a believer, as a Christian, as a man and as a pilgrim of peace, because more than ever we are called, everywhere, to dedicate ourselves seriously to peace. “