Pope: Visit to Bahrain is dialogue, fraternity in a world afflicted by division and conflict

Vatican, Nov. 9 (BNA): Pope Francis has called his four-day historic visit to Bahrain a visit of dialogue and fraternity in a world afflicted by division and conflict. The Pontiff, who visited Bahrain on November 3-6 at the invitation of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, dedicated his catechesis at his weekly Wednesday General Audience to his Apostolic Journey to Bahrain on November 3-6. The Bahrain journey marked his 39th Apostolic Visit abroad, second to the region, and 58th country visited since the start of his pontificate. Addressing the crowds in St. Peter's Square and those following from far away, Pope Francis expressed gratitude for the visit's peace-producing fruits, especially in this world torn apart by conflict and war Pope Francis who participated in the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue said that it "brought together religious leaders in the service of peace." "It comes spontaneous to ask why the Pope wanted to visit this small country with such a large Islamic majority?" the Pope asked, responding, "I would like to respond through three words: dialogue, encounter and journey." "Dialogue is in fact 'the oxygen of peace', opening minds and hearts to encounter and breaking down the walls of violence and division," he said. The Pope said that dialogue "is the oxygen of peace" even in domestic life, especially within families. Religious and civil leaders, and all people of goodwill, are challenged in a world rocked by war, and should look beyond narrow interests and to pursue unity and peace, he said. He stressed that wars and conflicts "will never be resolved through the infantile logic of artillery, but only with the gentle power of dialogue." "War destroys humanity. It destroys everything," he said" Pope Francis said that his visit to Bahrain, a predominantly Muslim nation, was another step in the journey of dialogue, encounter and fraternal cooperation between Christians and Muslims, following several other Journeys on similar themes, such as the United Arab Emirates in 2019 and Kazakhstan in September, Vatican News reports. The Pope said there can be no dialogue, without the second word of "encounter." He warned that without it, "dialogue remains empty," and "remains on the level of an idea rather than reality." He recalled his encounters with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and with the young people at Sacred Heart School. He praised the young people who, he said, "gave us a huge example, Christians and Muslims studying together." "Young people, boys and girls, children," he said, "need to get to know each other so that fraternal encounter might prevent ideological divisions." Lastly, the Pope focused on the third word of "Journey." The first visit of a Pope to Bahrain represents a new step on the journey between Christian and Muslim believers. He said it was "not to confuse things or water down the faith, but to create fraternal alliances in the name of our Father Abraham, who was a pilgrim on earth under the merciful gaze of the one God of Heaven, the God of peace." This, he said, is why the motto of the journey was: "Peace on earth to people of goodwill" The Pope also expressed his delight to celebrate Mass for the Catholic community of Bahrain and the greater Gulf region, which saw the participation of some 30,000 people, registered from more than 100 countries, and remembered with joy joining Christian leaders in a choral prayer for peace.