Pope Francis will make the first papal visit to Bahrain this week, prompting calls from the country’s Shiite majority and human rights activists for the pontiff to raise human rights considerations in the small island nation.
The island off the coast of Saudi Arabia is ruled by a Sunni monarchy that violently suppressed the 2011 Arab Spring protests with allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In the following years, Bahrain jailed Shiite activists, expelled others, stripped many of their nationalities, banned the largest Shiite opposition group, and shut down its main independent newspaper.
“There’s a huge elephant in the room in this situation,” said Devin Kenney, Amnesty International’s researcher in Bahrain.
“The watchwords of this are coexistence and debate, and the Bahraini government is suppressing civil and political liberties, without which coexistence and debate cannot be maintained. “
Bahrain maintains that it respects human rights and freedom of expression, despite repeated complaints from local and foreign human rights activists, as well as UN human rights special rapporteurs.
Francis is making the attempt to participate in a government-sponsored convention on East-West discussion and to care for Bahrain’s small Catholic community, as part of his efforts to continue discussion with the Muslim world.
The scale marks Francis’ moment in a Gulf Arab state and his moment in a Muslim-majority country in as many months, evidence that the argument with the Muslim world has become the cornerstone of his nearly 10-year pontificate.
He visited the UAE in 2019 and traveled to Kazakhstan for a leaders’ assembly in September.
In addition to meeting with Muslim leaders in Bahrain, he will also celebrate Mass at the National Stadium for the country’s Catholic community, most of whom are expatriates from the Philippines and India.
Asked if he would raise human rights considerations on his visit, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni cited Francis’ common calls for devout freedom and interreligious dialogue. (AFP/NAN)
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