Pope Will Have Rare Meeting With Muslim Council of Elders

Pope Francis is set to visit Bahrain on Thursday, the first pontiff in history to visit the Arab country

Pope Francis is scheduled to make a historic visit this week to Bahrain, the first visit to the Arab country by a pope.

Francis will visit Bahrain November 3-6, at the invitation of the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. It is the seventh visit to an Arab country by Pope Francis, who has made outreach to Muslim communities a priority.

The pope will participate in the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence, which will be held in conjunction with his historic visit, with the participation of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, head of the Muslim Council of Elders.

The visit comes ahead of legislative elections in Bahrain, which are scheduled to be held on November 12.

On Saturday, Bahrain will witness a public mass that will bring together Christians from throughout the region, held at the Bahrain National Stadium, with the participation of about 28,000 Christians, including 24,000 from Bahrain and the rest of the Gulf countries. All tickets for this mass have been distributed.

The slogan for the papal visit to Bahrain is “Peace on Earth for People of Good Will,” inspired by a statement in the Gospel of Luke. The logo, which consists of the flags of the Holy See and the Kingdom of Bahrain represented in stylized form as two hands open toward God, is meant to show the “commitment of peoples and nations to meet in a spirit of openness, without prejudice, as brothers and sisters,” according to the Vatican.

The pope also is scheduled to meet with the King of Bahrain at the Sakhir Royal Palace upon his arrival on Thursday. On Friday he will meet privately with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and then with members of the Muslim Council of Elders, after which he will head to the of Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, said to be the largest in the Arabian Gulf, to participate in what the schedule calls an “ecumenical meeting and prayer for peace.”

The visit of His Holiness the pope to Bahrain is very important because it came in response to an invitation by the king, and the pope’s acceptance of the invitation confirms the greatness and position of Bahrain and the king in the Vatican and the world

The Vatican published a message from the pope about the visit, which he said will be “a journey under the banner of dialogue” and that he would take part in a forum that has as its theme “the inescapable need for East and West to come more closely together for the sake of human coexistence.”

“I will have the opportunity to talk to religious representatives, especially Muslims,” he also said, adding: “I ask everyone to accompany me with prayer, so that every meeting and event might be a fruitful opportunity to promote, in the name of God, the cause of fraternity and peace, which our times so desperately and urgently need.”

Informed sources told The Media Line that more than 170 international media outlets requested permits to cover the pope’s visit, which is the largest number of media outlets to visit Bahrain in its history. The sources said that the arrangements for this visit have been prepared for a long time.

There are more than 250,000 Christians of various nationalities living in Bahrain.

Judge Muhammad Abd al-Salam, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Elders, said in a statement the “extraordinary meeting” between the Muslim Council of Elders, the pope and leaders of the Catholic Church reflects the role that religious leaders can play “in facing the challenges of the age, by presenting serious steps and practical solutions. The realism of these challenges from a religious and legal perspective contributes to mitigating the effects of these crises facing humanity.”

He added, “The meeting is scheduled to review, through dialogue, the visions of Muslim clergy and church leaders, mechanisms to confront the most prominent global issues and challenges, foremost of which come from climate issues and the negative effects of climate change on people’s lives, and the role of religious leaders and symbols in addressing this phenomenon, and its impact over food and water, which portends humanitarian catastrophes, in addition to promoting Islamic-Christian dialogue for human brotherhood.”

Charbel Fayad, the priest of the Sacred Heart Church in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, which will host a visit by the pope, told The Media Line: “The visit of His Holiness the pope to Bahrain is very important because it came in response to an invitation by the king, and the pope’s acceptance of the invitation confirms the greatness and position of Bahrain and the king in the Vatican and the world.”

“This is also a sign of the Church’s openness to Bahrain and the kingdom’s openness to the world,” he added.

“This opening, love and respect is not strange to Bahrain. For more than 100 years, the kingdom has been a land for churches and a land of love, dialogue and coexistence among all,” he also said.

Saba Haidousian, pastor of the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Church in Bahrain, told The Media Line: “This historic and exceptional event indicates a great recognition and appreciation from the Vatican for the role and value of Bahrain, and this visit is important for the kingdom and the region in general.”

He added: “The king of Bahrain always calls for openness to the other and to make Bahrain, under his leadership, a center for all religions and a center for freedoms. During the coming period, Bahrain will be under the eyes of the world and everyone will know Bahrain and the life of freedom in it.”

The king of Bahrain always calls for openness to the other and to make Bahrain, under his leadership, a center for all religions and a center for freedoms. During the coming period, Bahrain will be under the eyes of the world and everyone will know Bahrain and the life of freedom in it.

Rev. Hani Aziz, pastor of the National Evangelical Church and head of the White Flag Association, told The Media Line: “Bahrain is a beacon and beacon of peace and love, and this great meeting that will take place between the king and the Pope of the Vatican is a summit meeting that symbolizes love, tolerance, dialogue and the peaceful coexistence of religions.”

He added: “This visit of His Holiness the pope sends a great message to the future Middle East that this Middle East will be free of wars and in which peace and prosperity prevail.”

“From my position, I call upon His Holiness, after his visit to Bahrain, to convey all that he sees in the kingdom of freedom, tolerance and ritual practice to the whole world, and to convey the beauty and grandeur of this wonderful and loving country,” he also said.

Hala Ramzy Fayez, a Bahraini Christian and a member of the country’s Shura Council, called the visit one of “great importance at the regional and international levels. Bahrain has a distinctive feature in ensuring religious rights and freedoms and instilling a spirit of affection and peace among all citizens and residents. Compassion, social justice, respect for the rights of citizenship and all public freedoms – personal and religious – are the mainstays of the system of good governance in the kingdom.”

Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Center for Peaceful Coexistence, said in a statement that “Bahrain’s hosting of the 16th meeting of the Council of Muslim Elders, headed by Professor Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and in the presence of His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Vatican, represents an historic event. Bahrain is proud of it, and it is added to the series of initiatives launched by the king, including the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain document, which expressed His Majesty’s thought, philosophy and vision regarding human coexistence.”