The new Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali, Bahrain, is the largest in the Gulf region. It was built on land donated through King Hamad and consecrated on December 10, 2021. (Photo: CNS/courtesy of Hubert Estela)
ROME — When Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to stop in the Muslim-majority Gulf country of Bahrain next month, he will mark a new level in his ongoing efforts to dialogue with Islam and encourage the country’s small Christian minority.
Speaking to Crux, Archbishop Paul Hinder, vicar emeritus of the apostolic vicariate of southern Arabia and current administrator of the apostolic vicariate of northern Arabia in Kuwait, said Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Bahrain is “a continuation of the pontiff’s discussion with the Muslim world. “. “
“One of the most urgent problems is the factor of violence and the importance given to the values of justice and peace,” he said.
While Bahrain is a predominantly Muslim country with a small Christian community, Pope Francis is still widely identified and appreciated, Hinder said. War and persecution “have been unified, especially in this component of the world. “
Pope Francis will travel to Bahrain Nov. 3-6 to attend a convention titled “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence,” which is expected to attract other high-level devout leaders, adding the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. in Egypt, Ahmed el-Tayeb.
The two men were recently in Kazakhstan together for another high-level interfaith summit, and in 2019 they signed a document on human fraternity on the Pope’s scale in Abu Dhabi.
Noting that Francis will be the first pope in Bahrain, Hinder said “it’s like a dream come true” and that the announcement “has caused great emotion, not only among Catholics, but even among other people of other faiths living in the small island nation.
Bahrain, which is 70 percent Muslim, is home to the first Catholic church in the Persian Gulf, which opened in the capital Manama in 1939, as well as the largest, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, which opened last year in the city. of Awali and built on land donated through His Majesty King Hamad.
Pope Francis will stop at either of the two cities in which he made his stopover.
Read below Crux’s interview with Bishop Paul Hinder:
Crux: What is the importance of the Pope for Bahrain?What does this mean for the local population, especially Christians?
Hinder: The papal stopover in Bahrain has great significance for this predominantly Muslim region. Pope Francis basically comes to Bahrain to face the “Bahrain Dialogue Forum” at the invitation of His Majesty the King. Pope Francis has given wonderful importance to the meetings. and encounters with those who have other ideals and has taken several courageous steps to meet the “other” with all the respective differences. He has never hesitated to discuss and seek non-unusual tactics to advance the discussion with the other. He saw this in the beyond historical scale in Abu Dhabi that resulted in the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity, which expresses the commitment of the two signatories, the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, to paintings in combination to solve global disorders and disorders are not uncommon. The Pope’s stopover in Bahrain is once again the continuation of the holiday already begun in Abu Dhabi.
At the same time, the warm welcome he received in Abu Dhabi, his stopover in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, as well as the respect he receives from other leaders of the Arabian Peninsula, are a sign that his efforts to seek answers to the many disorders and humanitarian crises afflicting the world, in particular, The reception and integration of the weakest and most vulnerable segments of human society, such as homeless migrants who are forced to leave their homes due to war and persecution, has not gone unnoticed, especially in this component of the world.
For many Catholics in Bahrain, who have been eagerly awaiting the stopover since Bahrain’s king personally invited the pope, it’s like a dream come true. Bahrain has two parishes, the Church of the Sacred Heart, which is also the first church in the Persian Gulf, built and inaugurated in 1939, and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, which was built on land (9000 square meters) donated by His Majesty King Hamad. News of the papal stopover in caused great excitement, not only among Catholics, however, even among other people of other faiths living in the small island nation.
Why now? The Pope will participate in the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue to promote human coexistence between East and West, although there have probably been invitations for other occasions in the past. Why do you think the Pope accepted the invitation for it?
Relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Vatican have come a long way in recent years. In 2014, His Majesty King Hamad presented a style of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia to Pope Francis and also invited the Pontiff to make a stopover in the Kingdom. This followed through stopovers through Crown Prince Salman in 2020 and the King’s representative who renewed the invitation in 2021.
King Hamad also approved the document on human fraternity, signed in Abu Dhabi through the pontiff and Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in 2019, which aims to promote the spirit of fraternity and cooperation among followers of other religions while working together to deal with the demanding situations and disorders that threaten our common home and the fabric of societies.
The Bahrain Forum for Dialogue is a mirror image of the Kingdom’s positioning as an evolved, liberal country that seeks to have a leading voice in verbal exchange on values and goals that can unite other people and contribute to the progress of the human race. When the opportunity presented itself, Pope Francis felt the time had come to make the island country the long-awaited visit.
What is this forum like, especially in the regional context?Will there be other wonderful devout leaders present?
The details of the forum are being worked out and organizers are still waiting for them. We perceive that there will be leaders of several other religions who will be present. We know that Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar will be present. At the regional level, the forum will be because, in organizing such an event, the Kingdom of Bahrain seeks to reiterate its commitment to tolerance and respect for all religions and also seeks to find answers and seek tactics to solve pressing problems.
Based on your own experience, what do you think are the most pressing issues to talk about in relation to East-West relations?How do you talk about this, especially in the existing global context?
It is a continuation of the pontiff’s discussion with the Muslim world. I believe that one of the most urgent problems is the factor of violence and the importance given to the values of justice and peace. without justice. ” The discussions deserve to seek to do justice to other sectors as far as possible. The first step is for each component to be able to express itself and pay attention to the other. While it is a long and confusing road, we will have to continue the discussion component tirelessly. Dialogue is the only path open in a global where there is no longer the option of using violence to save the way, as it opens terrifying chances towards weapons of mass destruction than in the final goal through no fault of other people on both sides.
The step for the moment is to build mutual acceptance as truth and credibility. This cannot be done without respecting the basic rules of foreign law. We will have to find a way to ban weapons that can destroy the lives of human beings on earth and make our planet uninhabitable. Finally, we will have to be aware that justice and peace are not only the result of goodwill, diplomatic negotiations and a reliable legal framework, but in the end are a gift from God for which we will have to pray. Pope Francis reminds us from time to time that there will be no peace on earth if we are not at peace with God.
What is unique about the composition of Bahrain, and especially Christianity in Bahrain?What’s so special about the church there?
Bahrain has more than 80,000 Roman Catholics, most of whom are immigrants from countries, adding the Indian subcontinent and the Philippines, while the population is 70% Muslim. Bahrain is also one of the few GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries that has a local, largely Roman Catholic Christian population of about 1,000 people, mostly Arab Christians from the Middle East who immigrated to Bahrain between the 1930s and 1950s and who now have Bahraini citizenship.
Bahrain has a history of devout freedom and tolerance for nearly two hundred years and allows places of worship for all religions. The Kingdom has been very welcoming to expatriate Christians and offers a climate of openness and tolerance that allows other people of other faiths. They practice their faith. Bahrain is a colorful network of paintings with a cultural combination: a style of nonviolent coexistence of the many other religions that live and paint side by side in the island nation.
Follow Elise Ann Allen on Twitter: @eliseannallen
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