Pope Francis will arrive Thursday afternoon in Bahrain, on a four-day visit, which is the first of a Pope to the small Gulf kingdom, in which he will renew his insistence on dialogue with Islam, amid calls from human rights organizations that called on him to raise issues related to human rights.

Pope Francis will receive an official reception at 16:45 local time (1345 GMT), then he will meet the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, at the Sakhir Palace, where he will deliver his first speech to the authorities and representatives of the diplomatic corps.

Bahrain, with a population of 1.4 million, established diplomatic relations with the Vatican in 2000. It is home to about eighty thousand Catholic Christians, according to the Vatican, who come mainly from Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Western countries.

This is the thirty-ninth visit of the Pope abroad since his election, and the second to the Gulf region, after a historic visit to the UAE in 2019. Interreligious dialogue, which he fiercely defends, will top the content of his meetings in Bahrain.

In a tweet on Wednesday, the Pope said, "I am leaving tomorrow (Thursday) on an apostolic journey to the Kingdom of Bahrain, a journey under the banner of dialogue. I will participate in a forum focusing on the inescapable need of the East and the West for their rapprochement for the good of human coexistence."

The Pope's visit comes within the framework of the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue "East and West for Human Coexistence", which opens Thursday morning.

On Friday, the Pope will address the members of the Muslim Council of Elders at the Sakhir Palace Mosque. He will also meet the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb, with whom he signed in Abu Dhabi a historical document on human brotherhood.

"The meeting of these two religious figures of Muslims and Christians, I think it is an honor for Bahrain," a member of Bahrain's Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Abdul Latif al-Mahmoud told AFP in Manama.

"We welcome the visit of His Holiness the Pope to Bahrain, and we see it as a means of spreading love among people and spreading acquaintance among them," he added.

- joint call -
The visit, which the Bahraini authorities and local media describe as “historic”, was criticized, most notably by human rights organizations denouncing the discriminatory policies affecting members of the Shiite community, against the backdrop of unrest that accompanied demonstrations calling for regime change in 2011.

Nine human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, said in a joint statement Tuesday that Pope Francis should "publicly demand that Bahrain halt all executions, abolish the death penalty, and seriously investigate allegations of torture and violations of the right to a fair trial."

In Monday's report, Human Rights Watch condemned the government's "targeted marginalization" of opposition figures.

The Bahraini authorities responded to the criticism, saying that "freedom of religion and worship are protected rights under the constitution, and the kingdom does not tolerate discrimination, persecution, or the promotion of division based on race, culture or belief."

She stressed that "no individual in Bahrain has been arrested or detained because of his religious or political beliefs," adding, "In cases where individuals incite, encourage or glorify violence or hatred, there is a duty to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute these individuals."

Two weeks before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Pope Francis can address in his speeches the rights of migrant workers and the defense of the environment, two issues to which he attaches particular importance.

- "An unforgettable moment" -

Since his election to the Holy See in 2013, Pope Francis of Argentina has visited more than ten Muslim-majority countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Bangladesh, Morocco and Iraq.

The 85-year-old suffers from knee pain, which impedes his movement. He said in mid-September that she had not yet recovered. Nevertheless, he continues his four foreign trips in 2022.

In the places where the Pope plans to stop, Wednesday workers were busy finalizing arrangements for the visit.

Along the street leading to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, the largest church on the Arabian Peninsula that opened at the end of 2021, the flags of the Vatican and Bahrain were raised. The walls and courtyard of the church are decorated with huge portraits of Pope Francis, accompanied by the motto of the visit: "On earth, peace to people of good will."

At the Bahrain National Stadium, where the Supreme Pontiff will preside over a mass on Saturday morning, it is expected that about 28,000 Christian believers residing in Qatar and the neighboring Gulf countries will attend.

In the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the oldest church in Manama and where the Pope meets priests working in Bahrain before his departure on Sunday, parish priest Xavier Marian D'Souza told AFP, "After Covid-19, it is a joy that this family (the believers in Bahrain)" return to the church, adding “He will definitely give us his blessing.”

After attending a mass in the church, on the eve of the Pope's arrival, Shinki, a Filipina worker, said, "We are certainly happy to see him," adding, "It will be an unforgettable moment."

Indian worker Jason Da Souza hopes that the Pope's visit will bring peace to the region.

"I think that everyone wants one thing, for the Pope to think about the region...and the hardships that people face here, and to pray for peace in the region," he told AFP.

"We have a lot of issues going on and I think the main thinking about them is getting people together," he added.
AFP