Pope Francis arrives in Bahrain for his 1st visit to Gulf kingdom

Pope Francis arrives in Bahrain for his 1st visit to Gulf kingdom

Pope Francis to attend 'Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence' on Friday

By Ibrahim El-Khazen

MANAMA, Bahrain (AA) - Pope Francis arrived in the Bahraini capital Manama on Thursday in the first visit to the Gulf kingdom by the supreme pontiff.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa welcomed the pope as his four-day visit began in an official ceremony, according to the Bahrain's public broadcaster.

Pope Francis is scheduled to on Friday address in the "Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence" which started earlier on Thursday under the auspices of the Bahraini monarch.

This is the pope's first visit to Bahrain and second to the Gulf after a visit to the UAE in 2019.

The Cairo-based Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, announced on Thursday that its Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb had also departed from Egypt to take part in the forum.

"The closing day of the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue will witness three keynote speeches, delivered by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and Pope Francis," it said in a statement.

About 200 figures, leaders, and religious representatives from around the world are taking part in the event.

Diplomatic relations between Bahrain and the Holy See began in Jan. 12, 2000.

Catholics make up the largest Christian community in Bahrain, which hosts 18 official churches.


*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report

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