Pope visits Bahrain for interfaith talks with rights in spotlight

By AFP

Pope Francis, leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, flies Thursday to the Gulf state of Bahrain to foster ties with Islam in a voyage overshadowed by criticism of human rights abuses.

The second voyage by a pope to the Arabian Peninsula after Francis' 2019 trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is similarly aimed at encouraging interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Christians, and will include the pontiff leading a prayer for peace at a vast modern cathedral opened last year.

But criticism of Bahrain's human rights record has already erupted ahead of Francis' voyage, which lasts through Sunday, as international rights groups urge him to speak out against alleged abuses against Shiites, activists and opposition figures in the Sunni-led monarchy.

The 85-year-old Francis, who will likely be mostly confined to a wheelchair due to recurring knee pain, is scheduled to arrive at 4:45 pm local time (1345 GMT) and conduct a "courtesy visit" with King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa following a welcoming ceremony.

He will then give a speech to authorities, diplomats and members of civil society, according to his official schedule.

On Friday, Francis will address the "Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence", organised by the UAE-based Muslim Council of Elders, followed by a private meeting with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of the prestigious Cairo-based Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest Sunni institution.

The two religious leaders signed a joint document pledging interfaith coexistence during Francis' UAE trip in 2019.

The Argentine pope has made outreach to Muslim communities a priority during his papacy, visiting major Muslim countries such as Egypt, Turkey and Iraq, and most recently in September, Kazakhstan.

On Tuesday, Francis asked the faithful assembled on Saint Peter's Square to pray for his upcoming trip, calling it "a journey under the banner of dialogue".

Ahead of the voyage, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists he would not guess whether Francis would broach the topic of human rights.

But the pope's view "concerning religious freedom and liberty is clear and known", Bruni said.