Catholics in Bahrain are "a small flock": about 80,000 people, the vast majority of them migrant workers. And only a thousand have obtained citizenship in Bahrain. However, for the Mass at the Bahrain National Stadium, with capacity for some 30,000 people, "all the tickets were sold out in a few days," said Monsignor Hinder in an online meeting organized by the Iscom association on Monday with journalists accredited to the Vatican.
"We have received many requests, even from Muslims, and people are coming from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait," Bishop Hinder added, corroborating expectations, as noted by the agency. Ansa. As is to be expected, there will be hardly any displacement from YemenThe apostolic administrator described the country as "the forgotten periphery of the world", a country at war and with serious tensions.
Apostolic Administrator Paul Hinder, in an online conference organized Tuesday by the Aid to the Church in Need Foundation (ACN), also on the occasion of Pope Francis' apostolic visit to Bahrain, referred to the background of the papal visit, which has as its motto 'Peace on earth to people of good will'.
"All of the Pope's trips pursue the same purpose: to build a platform on which, despite our differences in beliefs, we can create positive and constructive communities to build the future..... If the two major monotheistic religions do not find a minimum basis of understanding there is a risk for the whole world," Paul Hinder added at the ACN International conference.
The apostolic administrator of North Arabia referred in this vein to the Document on Human Fraternitysigned by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, in February 2019 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). And he specifically recalled its opening point: 'In the name of God who created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and called them to live together among themselves, to populate the earth and spread on it the values of goodness, charity and peace. In the name of the innocent human soul that God has forbidden to kill... In the name of the poor...".
A 'common ground
"I think the Pope has seen the possibility of reaching a 'common ground' while maintaining the identity of each one," said Hinder, who acknowledged he did not know the details of the Forum for Dialogue The event, entitled 'East and West for human coexistence', will be closed by Pope Francis on Friday, the 4th.
In Iscom's meeting with journalists, Vicar Apostolic Hinder also referred to 'common ground', to 'the platform'. Pope Francis wishes to "open our minds and make us understand that it is absolutely necessary for us to enter into a relationship of mutual respect and collaboration on the ground, wherever possible." In his view, "his courageous steps will open doors and I believe will contribute to solutions to conflicts in the area and also around the world."
At the same forum, Monsignor Hinder noted that the Pope's trip sends a "signal" to Saudi Arabia and Iran, locked in a long-running conflict. "It is not imaginable that his stay will go unnoticed in Riyadh and Tehran."
"The Pope is building a common platform," he added, after recalling that the Pontiff's visit to Bahrain, which follows in the wake of Abu Dhabi, is "a continuation of his trips to Morocco, Iraq and Kazakhstan," he stressed at the ACN International conference.
Active Christians
There was a moment when Apostolic Administrator Hinder seemed to get a little emotional. It was when talking about the Christians of Bahrain, and the Arabian Gulf. "Looking back over the last 18 years that I have worked here, there are many important features, but part of the beauty of this ministry in this area of the world is dealing with active Christians. We don't have to go after Christians asking them if they will come to Mass; in fact, quite the opposite, we often have space problems to accommodate everyone. This makes us look at life differently, and gives us a certain satisfaction," he explained.
For example, Filipinos celebrate the tradition of 'Simbang Gabi' or Masses of the Rooster, and prepare for Christmas for nine days. They begin on December 16 and celebrate a novena of masses that ends on Christmas Eve, December 24. Well, in Dubai, for example, in the Emirates, "every day, 30,000 Filipinos went to mass during Simbang Gabi. Unbelievable," recalled Paul Hinder, who was Vicar Apostolic of South Arabia for a number of years.
Bahrain is "the country in the area that enjoys the most religious freedom, as well as better conditions for women. However, "it is caught between two major contenders, Saudi Arabia and Iran, and needs the world's attention," said Hinder. The Royal Family of Bahrain is Sunni, although about 2/3 of the Muslim population are Shiites, and 1/3 Sunni and growing.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia
The visit of Pope Francis, invited by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, reinforces the choice of the Al Khalifa royal family to showcase the Kingdom's profile as a place of dialogue, tolerant welcome and peaceful coexistence.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is home to the largest church in the region, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, a temple whose grounds were donated by King Hamad himself in 2013 to Bishop Camillo Ballin, Vicar Apostolic of North Arabia until his death in 2020.
Located in Awali, the cathedral was consecrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on December 10, 2021, in the presence of Archbishop Eugene Nugent, Apostolic Nuncio, and Bishop Paul Hinder.
"The construction of the new cathedral marks a major progress in Church-State relations, and also bears witness to the growing number of Catholics in the region. ACN supported this important project for the Christians of the Arabian Peninsula in different phases. So far, only five formally designated churches serve the 2.3 million square kilometers that make up the vicariate," says Regina Lynch, ACN's project director.
They go to Bahrain for sacraments
"Throughout the Arabian Peninsula, but particularly in Saudi Arabia, the public practice of Christianity is severely restricted and limited to the grounds of foreign embassies and private homes. This is why many of the Christians living in this country go to Bahrain - a border country - to receive the sacraments and live the faith in community," adds Regina Lynch.
Recalling Bishop Ballin, Lynch comments, "He showed great determination in overcoming many, many challenges. Since the groundbreaking ceremony on May 31, 2014, it has been more than six years of hard work and many challenges. I am sure Msgr. Ballin will share the joy from heaven."
Ferrán Canet, Omnes' correspondent in Lebanon, who often travels to the Arab lands, said of Bahrain that "the former apostolic vicar, Monsignor Camillo Ballin, now deceased, told me that he had received a very good welcome from the authorities, with many facilities, unlike in other countries. Facilities for the new cathedral, the bishop's seat, a house where spiritual exercises and various activities could be held"..
