Dreams come true as Pope Francis begins historic Bahrain visit

TDT | Manama                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

His Holiness Pope Francis landed in the Kingdom of Bahrain yesterday to a grand welcome at Sakhir Air Base in Awali, kick-starting a historic visit, aimed at improving ties with the Islamic world, and fulfilling the long-cherished dreams of people in the Middle East.

The visit, described as “historyic”, is “Baba Pope’s” -- as Bahrainis fondly call him or “Father Pope” after the Arabic word for “father” -- 39th Apostolic journey abroad and first to Bahrain. Welcoming the Holy Father to Bahrain at the air base was His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Royal Family members, ministers, religious leaders and top officials.

HM King shook hands of the pontiff, who came out in a wheelchair, as he was suffering from knee pain. The Pope, however, was later seen standing next to HM King. After exchanging pleasantries, the convoy carrying the Holy Father rolled out of the airport into an atmosphere filled with the warmth of love, flavoured with traditional Bahraini music.

Musicians, revellers and citizens wearing traditional Bahraini attires were seen lined throughout the way, giving Pope a royal welcome as the convoy rode through the decorated streets of Bahrain. Later, as the vehicle carrying Holy Father rolled into the courtyard of Sakhir Royal Palace, Bahraini elite horse cavalry and cheering children, waving Bahraini flags, gave him a grand welcome.

Men, wearing red and black attires, soon marched in, playing Bahraini tunes on their percussion instruments, adding more colour to the pious atmosphere. It is only the second visit by a pope to the Arabian Peninsula after Francis’ 2019 visit to the United Arab Emirates.

The Holy Father had flown out of Rome on an ITA Airways flight to Bahrain accepting an invitation from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to participate in the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East-West Dialogue for Human Coexistence.”

He landed in Awali at about 4:45 PM local time (2:45 PM Rome time). During his trip, which lasts until Sunday, he will hold an open-air mass and lead a prayer for peace at a vast modern cathedral opened last year.

Today’s “prayer for peace” will be held at the cavernous Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral in Awali, which seats more than 2,000 people and opened in December. Tomorrow, Pope will lead mass at the national stadium before a crowd of nearly 30,000 people.

Francis will preside over a prayer meeting with Catholic clergy and others on Sunday before returning to Rome. Earlier, during the 5-hour journey from Rome to Bahrain, the 85-year-old Francis made his customary greeting to some 60 journalists travelling with him.

The pope said that due to his ongoing knee pain, he would allow journalists to greet him one by one as he remained seated, rather than taking his usual walkabout through the plane cabin. The pontiff’s knee pain was so bad on the way to Bahrain that he was unable to walk around the papal plane greeting accompanying reporters as he usually does.

The pope has walked with a cane since he tore a ligament in his knee early this year and sometimes uses a wheelchair. “The pope is moving forward with a certain logic to open new paths to the different realities of the Muslim world,” said Bishop Paul Hinder, who has worked in the region for nearly two decades and is the Vatican’s apostolic vicar for Southern Arabia.