His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa paid a visit to His Holiness Pope Francis at his residence, in the presence of HM’s Personal Representative, His Highness Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and Personal Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, National Security Advisor, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
HM the King and HH the Pope reviewed strong relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Vatican and their steady growth at all levels.
HM the King commended the positive outcomes of HH the Pope’s historic visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, noting the lofty humanitarian contents contained in the speeches delivered by His Holiness during the visit, which emphasised the principles of peace, religious freedom and rapprochement between peoples. He also praised the great success of the Mass which was held today and attended by tens of thousands from Bahrain and the Arabian Gulf countries.
HM the King affirmed that common denominators based on the noble humanitarian principles and values have turned relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Vatican into a distinguished model of cooperation to serve humanity by promoting peaceful coexistence between religions and cultures, shunning extremism and fostering dialogue as the only means to achieve people’s aspirations for peace, prosperity and sustainable development.
HH Pope Francis expressed thanks and appreciation to HM the King for the gracious welcome and hospitality and for his invitation to visit the Kingdom of Bahrain. He also expressed appreciation to the royal family, commending coexistence and tolerance characterizing the Bahraini society.
HH the Pope lauded the vital role of the Kingdom of Bahrain in consolidating the culture of dialogue, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, wishing Bahrain further growth and prosperity.