Pope Francis speaks with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain as he arrives at Sakhir Air Base, Bahrain, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Pope Francis is visiting Nov. 3-6 to participate in a government-sponsored convention discussing the West and caring for Bahrain’s small Catholic community, as part of his efforts to continue discussion with the Muslim world. (Credit: Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
ROME (AP) — In his first official meeting in the Gulf of Bahrain country, Pope Francis on Thursday condemned the use of the death penalty, which is still in force in the country and has been condemned by activists who say those they enjoyed were unjustly killed after being convicted. . in mock trials.
Addressing the civilian government and members of the diplomatic corps in Bahrain, Pope Francis, in his Nov. 3 speech, cited the country’s constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on “sex, origin, language, faith or belief,” insisting that “freedom of expression is absolute. “and that “the State promises the inviolability of worship”.
These are commitments that “must be consistently put into practice,” he said, to ensure that “religious freedom is total and not limited to freedom of worship,” and that dignity and equal opportunity is granted to “each and every organization. “and for each and every individual.
However, before all these guarantees, he said, there is “the right to life” and wanting to “guarantee that right, adding to those who are punished, who will not have to take their lives. “
A staunch opponent of the death penalty, Pope Francis has described it as an attack on “the dignity of the human person” and called for it to be abolished worldwide.
He will recently travel to Bahrain from November 3 to 6 for a high-level interfaith summit titled “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence,” which is expected to attract other prominent devoted leaders in addition to the Grand Imam. of Al-Azhar in Egypt, Ahmed el-Tayeb.
The scale is largely aimed at building bridges with the Muslim network and strengthening ties with the Gulf region, however, activists suggested that the pope use it to denounce alleged human rights violations.
An organization of members of the circle of relatives of 12 prisoners recently sentenced to death in Bahrain wrote a letter to the pope ahead of the stopover asking him to condemn the death penalty, saying their relatives had been subjected to torture and had undergone state executions in 2017. and 2019 had been psychologically atrocious. Because they did not know if their relatives were among those who were executed.
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Activists have also complained about what they say is discrimination against the Shiite majority, with King Hamad Al Khalifa and his circle of Sunni relatives, with dozens of Shiite mosques destroyed since the 2011 uprisings, largely led by Shiite pro-democracy activists. at the height of the region’s “Arab Spring” uprisings.
In his speech, Pope Francis focused on the symbol of the so-called “tree of life,” referring to an acacia tree that survived in the desert for centuries with very little rainfall. The secret of its flowering lies in its roots, which attract its water from underground reservoirs.
Francis, who speaks of the importance of remembering one’s roots, praised Bahrain’s ancient and multi-ethnic past, calling it “a crossroads of mutual enrichment between peoples (and) a position of assembly among other peoples. “
“The greatest wealth of the country shines in its ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as in the nonviolent coexistence and classic hospitality of its people,” he said, adding that “non-bland, but inclusive, diversity is the richness of each and every true evolved country. “
He insisted that a country’s ability to maintain a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society not only prevents it from isolating itself, but is imperative at a time “when the tendency to close in exclusively on ourselves and our specific interests prevents us from appreciating the importance of the greater whole.
The multiple national, ethnic and devout teams that live together in Bahrain testify “that we can and will have to live combined in our world, which in those decades has a global village,” he said.
Francis pointed to the development of indifference and mistrust around the world, as well as rivalries and conflicts and the new bureaucracy of populism, extremism and imperialism which, he said, “endanger the security of all. “
He also lamented a developing cultural disparity among other parts of the world, saying “destructive attitudes of conflict” are preferred to “beneficial opportunities for fruitful encounters. “
To this end, a spirit of fraternity must be cultivated, he said: “May we never allow opportunities for encounter between civilizations, religions and cultures to evaporate, nor may the roots of our humanity dry up and atrophy!Let us paint together, may we paint in the service of unity and hope!
Highlighting the interfaith forum in which he will participate, Pope Francis said it could make a contribution to this feeling of running together, calling the occasion “a valuable step in the adventure of friendship that has intensified in recent years with devout Islamic leaders, and a fraternal adventure that, under the gaze of heaven, seeks to foster peace on earth. “
As for the population of Bahrain, the Pope noted that there are a large number of immigrants, and foreigners represent approximately a part of the residential population.
While many feel at home and satisfied to have work, there are still high levels of unemployment around the world, while many jobs are dehumanizing, he said, saying, “This alone poses a serious threat of social instability, but it poses a threat to humanity. “. dignity. “
He emphasized the dignity of work, saying: “Let us ensure that situations of execution are safe and dignified, that they herald rather than obstruct people’s cultural and non-secular growth; and that serve to promote social cohesion, to obtain advantages from the unusual life and progression of each country.
Francis also praised Bahrain for building the first school for women in the Gulf region and its abolition of slavery in 1937, and called for the country to be a “beacon in the region” to sell rights and equivalent situations for workers, women and youth, “while ensuring respect and fear for all those who feel marginalized from society to the maximum, as immigrants and prisoners.
“Because authentic, human and integral is measured above all by the attention paid to them,” he said.
A call has also been launched, with Pope Francis calling for the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, to be held from 6-18 November, to be a success.
Pope Francis also appealed to what he called a human vocation “to make life prosper,” noting that the world is increasingly witnessing “homicidal movements and threats,” and highlighted what he called “the monstrous and senseless truth of war, which sows destruction and crushes hope.
“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 said, calling for army spending to be diverted to fund efforts to eliminate hunger. and investing in physical care and education.
To this end, the Pope lamented in particular the confrontation in Yemen, which he said is “torn by a forgotten war that, like any war, results in a victory, but only in a bitter defeat for all. “
He offered special prayers for the most vulnerable victims of the war, adding children, the elderly and the sick, pleading with the government to “stop the clash of arms!”Let us dedicate ourselves, everywhere and concretely, to the construction of peace!
Francis concluded his speech by saying that he arrived in Bahrain as a pilgrim of peace, “because today, more than ever, we are called, everywhere, to dedicate ourselves seriously to peace. “
He then quoted the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which says, “We pledge to work for a world in which other people of honest conviction come together to reject what divides us and focus on celebrating and expanding what unites us,” saying, “So be she, with the blessing of the Most High.
Follow Elise Ann Allen on Twitter: @eliseannallen
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