Pope Francis, leader of the world’s 1. 3 billion Catholics, called for “safe and dignified” situations for staff on his stopover in Bahrain, where the government has been accused of abuses against Shiite Muslims and migrant staff.
The rights of migrants in the Gulf, numbering thousands of Filipinos, have been at the top of the World Cup in neighboring Qatar.
The Pope warned that “many paintings are dehumanizing. This not only poses a serious threat of social instability, but also poses a threat to human dignity. “
“Work is as valuable as bread. . . And it is also a bread that is poisoned, as it enslaves,” he told the dignitaries accumulated in the opening speech of his visit.
Men and women, “more than the sacred and inviolable end and end of work, are reduced to a mere means of generating wealth,” he added.
The pope, who uses a wheelchair and cane because of chronic knee problems, also addressed Christians Saturday at the 2,000-seat Notre Dame de Arabia Cathedral in Awali.
The church built to serve the approximately 80,000 Catholics in Bahrain, mostly South Asian staff, especially from India and the Philippines.
Charma, a 45-year-old Filipino real estate agent who has worked in Bahrain for 18 years, said seeing Pope Francis was a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.
“It’s a wonderful feeling, I feel blessed to see him because I’m here at this event,” she said with tears in her eyes.
The congregation, which includes many immigrant workers as well as Filipinos living in the kingdom, clapped and filmed with cellphones as it entered the octagonal hall, whose walls were decorated with icons.
On Saturday, the pontiff will lead a Mass at Bahrain’s National Stadium in front of a crowd of about 30,000 people, where on Wednesday staff put the finishing touches, adding a giant gold cross over Francis’ chair.
Francis will preside over a prayer assembly with Catholic clergy and others on Sunday before returning to Rome, according to AFP data.
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