Asia/Bahrain – Peace and brotherhood of humanity: King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa becomes Apostolic Pastor of Northern Arabia
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
ST
Manama (Agenzia Fides) – On Monday, January 30, 2024, in the presence of the three Ministers and Protocol, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, the Apostle of O.S.T. Bishop Aldo Berardi was welcomed. A pastor in northern Arabia.
“I asked His Majesty to meet with me to get to know each other in person, and yesterday, January 30th, I was received in his office at the Royal Palace in Manama. He was accompanied by the Chaplain of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia,” OFM Cap. Father Serge Thomas and ministers including Dr. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs and Director of the King Hamad World Center for Peace and Coexistence.
“It was a very pleasant meeting. The King is an excellent person, always tolerant and tolerant of the coexistence of different religious realities,” the apostolic deputy declared to Fidesz. Among the highlights of our visit, King Hamad met with Pope Francis, first in Bahrain in November 2022 (see Fides, February 11, 2022), and later during his reception in the Vatican. Special focus on joy. October 2023, for his wisdom and stand in support of world peace. During the meeting, they discussed ways to strengthen the culture of dialogue, tolerance, religious moderation, and rejection of extremism and fanaticism. He appreciated and emphasized the value of good relations and cooperation with the Catholic Church and the coexistence of different religions. We discussed the history of Bahrain, the first Gulf country to accept the presence of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jewish communities. King Hamad recalled Christian values and a pre-Islamic past. His Majesty is aware of all the happenings in the Catholic Church in this country. He praised Manama’s Sacred Heart School, which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary (see Fidesz, 12 November 2023), and said that a rectory was being built next to the cathedral on land donated by the King himself. I was informed that there was. “The king said he could see the cathedral from his palace room, so I jokingly said I was going to turn on the light to greet him and then turn on two lights to see if everything was okay. Berardi invited Hamad.The bishop visited the cathedral and expressed his gratitude to the King of Bahrain for supporting the various religions represented in Bahrain without discrimination and providing a place of worship, and for peace and coexistence. He emphasized the Kingdom’s efforts to spread its values. Framed in Rome in the 19th century, this painting depicts his one of the first maps of the Arabian Peninsula, dating from 1658, where Bahrain is also located.
Additionally, Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixo (MCCJ), Director of the Diplomatic Agency for Interreligious Dialogue, will be present on the occasion of the Board of Directors of the King Hamad Center for World Peace and Coexistence, which will be held tomorrow, February 1, in Manama. , a new member of the Apostolic Pastors of Northern Arabia, is a member of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and Captives (O.S.T.) whose charism is to redeem kidnapped or enslaved Christian prisoners (Fides, (see July 11, 2023).
At the end of tomorrow’s meeting, Cardinal Ayuso is scheduled to depart for Abu Dhabi on February 4, the anniversary of the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in 2019 by Pope Francis and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al Tayeb. I am planning to head to Abu Dhabi in 2019. , will be celebrated.
Saudi Arabia hosts many international conferences and events, including the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which he himself signed on July 3, 2017, as a world document for religious freedom, and the East-West Forum for Human Coexistence. This is one example. This approach highlights King Hamad’s consistent openness.
“Ignorance is the enemy of peace. It is therefore our duty to learn, share and live together in accordance with the tenets of our faith based on a spirit of mutual respect and love,” the document quotes. “For hundreds of years, different religious groups have coexisted harmoniously in the Kingdom of Bahrain, fully practicing the tenets of their respective faiths and living together in a blessed and peaceful manner. “We humbly offer the traditional Bahraini way of life as an example to inspire others based on these principles,” the words still read in the 2017 manifesto. can do. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, January 31, 2024)
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