The pontiff landed in the tiny island kingdom on Thursday afternoon, delivering a speech in which he criticized the use of the death penalty and urged nations to respect human rights and provide better situations for workers.
Rights teams had in the past called on the pope to denounce alleged abuses in the Sunni-ruled monarchy, which is home to a large Shiite population.
Speaking to dignitaries, adding to his host, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the leader of the world’s 1. 3 billion Catholics, he said freedom of devotee is “complete and not limited to freedom of worship. “
On Friday, the 85-year-old pope, who uses a wheelchair because of chronic knee problems, plans to meet with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of the prestigious Al-Azhar Mosque and Cairo’s Sunni Learning Center.
The pontiff’s 39th overseas vacation since taking office comes three years after he signed a Muslim-Christian manifesto for peace in the United Arab Emirates, the first papal stop in the Gulf region, where Islam was born.
The Argentine has placed interreligious discussion at the center of his pontificate, visiting Muslim-majority countries such as Egypt, Turkey and Iraq.
The trip to Bahrain, where he will also participate in a forum with the Abu Dhabi-based Council of Muslim Elders, is no exception.
But before his trip, human rights teams and families of Bahraini death row inmates suggested that he respond to the alleged violations.
In the first speech of his visit, to the luxurious royal palace in Sakhir, he said it was important that “fundamental human rights are not violated but they are promoted. “
“I think first of all of the right to life, wanting to guarantee that right, added to those who are sanctioned, who are not going to have to take their lives,” he said.
Bahrain has executed six more people since 2017, when it carried out its first execution in seven years. Some of those convicted were convicted after a 2011 uprising that was suppressed with the help of the Saudi army.
A government spokesman rejected allegations of rights violations, saying Bahrain “does not tolerate discrimination” and does not prosecute because of its devout or political beliefs.
Speaking less than three weeks before the World Cup in neighboring Qatar, which is under scrutiny for its remedy for migrant workers, the pope also demanded that “work situations be safe and dignified. “
“A lot of paintings are dehumanizing,” he said. This not only poses a serious threat of social instability, but also poses a threat to human dignity. “
Pope Francis, after being dismounted from the plane in his wheelchair on a platform, won an enthusiastic reception on Thursday.
Uniformed guards on horseback, as well as Vatican and Bahraini flags, marked the direction of his brief adventure to the gleaming white marble palace, where he greeted cheering children.
In addition to attending the forum and assembly with the grand imam, the pope will pray at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, the largest Catholic church in the Arabian Peninsula, followed by an open-air Mass on Saturday.