São Paulo – Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, landed on Thursday (3) in Bahrain and has since given messages on peace, disarmament, unity, overcoming differences, and prosperity, among other topics, in the meetings he took part. Brazilian families who live in the Arab country in the Gulf attended the mass celebrated by the pope on Saturday (5) for 30,000 people at the Bahrain National Stadium.
Upon arrival, Francis was welcomed by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and members of the royal family. His visit is the result of the invitation from local and religious authorities. The pope will be in the country until Sunday (6) to participate in the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence” and visit the cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, the patroness of the Gulf.
In his first speech in Bahrain, Francis urged peoples to put aside arms and promote the human rights. “Let us reject the logic of weapons and change course, diverting enormous military expenditures to investments in combating hunger and the lack of healthcare and education,” Francis said during a meeting with representatives of the country’s civil society groups and the diplomatic corps.
The pope said that Bahrain is an extremely ancient land, to which different peoples came. “The country’s greatest riches shine forth in its ethnic and cultural diversity, and in the peaceful co-existence and the traditional hospitality of its people,” Francis said. Bahrain, the Pope said, “can be proud of its significant contributions in this regard,” pointing to the first school for women in the Gulf region. “May it be a beacon through the region for the promotion of equal rights and improved conditions for workers, women and young people,” he said.
Pope Francis spoke at the closing ceremony of the Bahrain forum for Dialogue, a meeting with the Muslim Council of Elders, and an ecumenical meeting. He has also had other appointments in the country, like conducting a mass for the community, a meeting with young people at a local high school, and a farewell celebration.
He also touched on the “forgotten war” in Yemen. “Like every war, issues not in victory, but only in bitter defeat for everyone,” he said. The pope then called attention to the question of environment and expressed his hope that the COP27 meeting, taking place in just a few days in Egypt, would be a “step forward in this regard.” The pope then deplored that labor can too often be “dehumanizing” and lamented the increase in “lethal actions and threats.” Francis went on to call for an end to the war in Ukraine, pleading for serious peace negotiations to begin.
Brazilians in Bahrain
The Vatican published on its website an article in Portuguese on Brazilians living in Bahrain that would attend the mass that the pope celebrated on Saturday. The Mathises, a Brazilian German catholic family that has lived in the country for 12 years, gave an interview. “I never even imagined that one day I could attend a Pope Francis’ mass. We are thrilled to experience this moment that will be historical for our family,” the family’s mother Aline Mathis said.
The family attends the local catholic church and goes to mass, given in English, every Friday. Aline, who’s a tour guide, said she was glad to be able to express her freedom of religion both at home and outside, and so agrees her German husband Stephan Mathis, a finance director. “Bahrain is a very free country. And we have all religious here; everyone can practice their faith, whether they are Catholic, Hinduist or Muslim,” he told Vatican News.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
