This Monday, September 29, Pope Leo XIV received at the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The meeting is framed within the strengthening of bilateral relations between the Holy See and the small kingdom of the Persian Gulf.
Subsequently, the heir to the throne met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by Mons. Mirosław Stanisław Wachowski, Undersecretary for Relations with States.
Good Bilateral Relations
According to the Vatican Press Office, the conversations took place in a cordial atmosphere. Both parties expressed satisfaction with the existing good relations and the willingness to strengthen them in various areas.
A central point was the Kingdom of Bahrain’s policy in promoting interreligious dialogue and peaceful coexistence among communities of different faiths, a topic in which the Holy See has shown particular interest in recent years.
Bahrain and Religious Freedom
Bahrain, an archipelago in the Persian Gulf with a Shiite Muslim majority, stands out for the presence of a significant community of Christian immigrant workers and for having allowed the construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, inaugurated in 2021, the largest Catholic church in the Gulf. The country has sought to project itself as a center for interreligious dialogue in the region, by hosting international meetings dedicated to peace and coexistence.
For the Holy See, the case of Bahrain is relevant as an example of relative openness in an area where Christians often suffer strong restrictions in their public life and in the exercise of worship.
Peace in the Middle East as a Priority
In the exchange, international issues were also addressed, especially the urgent need to end the war in the Middle East and to advance the commitment to peace among nations.