Pope Francis intensifies his alliance with Islam in the face of the “blasphemy” of war

The Pope Francisco He dedicated his second day in Bahrain to intensifying the alliance with Islam, as he has done in his already more than ten trips to countries with a Muslim majority, and on this occasion he asked that religions promote peace “in the face of the blasphemy of war”.

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The first pontiff to visit this Persian Gulf country met today with the imam of Egypt’s Al Azhar University, Ahmed al Tayeb, with whom he signed the document for the Human Brotherhood in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, and later participated in a meeting of the Muslim Council of Elders, which promotes the values ​​of tolerance and peace between religions.

A religious does not support the arms race

The day had begun with his speech for the closing of the “West and East Forum for peaceful coexistence” organized by the royal family, from where he once again called for “serious negotiations” to end the war in Ukraine.

“Those who are religious firmly say no to the blasphemy of war and the use of violence. Because it is not enough to say that a religion is peaceful, it is necessary to condemn and isolate the violent ones who abuse its name”, said the pope in one of the spaces of the Bakhir royal palace.

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And, he added, “it is not enough to distance ourselves from intolerance and extremism, we must act in the opposite direction”, from condemning terrorism to opposing “the arms race, the business of war, the market of death”.

The Pope Francisco warned that “East and West are increasingly similar to two opposing seas” and, if “playing with missiles and bombs” continues, the world will be filled with “ashes and hatred”, while wishing that these disputes “end resolve for the good of all”.

“After two terrible world wars, after a cold war that for decades had the world on edge, in the midst of so many disastrous conflicts in all parts of the globe, between voices of accusation, threat and condemnation, we still find ourselves teetering on the edge of a fragile balancehe underlined.

Religious must promote peace through dialogue

Later, in the courtyard in front of the mosque of the Sakhir royal palace complex in Awali, he addressed his speech to the Muslim Council of Elders, which promotes the values ​​of tolerance and peace between religions and whom he has already met on his trip to Abu Dabi.

“God is the source of peace. May he grant us to be, in any place, channels of his peace”, The Pope began his speech.

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“Before you I would like to reiterate that the God of peace never leads to war, never incites hatred, never endorses violence. And we, who believe in Him, are called to promote peace through instruments of peace, such as meetings, patient negotiations and dialogue, which is the oxygen of common coexistence”he added.

To collaborate on the path of peace, the pope indicated that religions have prayer and brotherhood.

“These are our weapons, humble and effective”, said Franciscowhich called not to be tempted “by those who believe in the reasons of force and fuel violence, war and the arms market, the trade of death that, with ever-increasing sums of money, is transforming our house common in a large arsenal.

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I kisses the crucifix of Pope Francis upon his arrival at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali, south of the Bahraini capital, on November 4, 2022. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP) (MARCO BERTORELLO/)

A cathedral in the desert

The Pope Franciscowho has to use a wheelchair to get around due to knee problems, concluded the day with a visit to Our Lady of Arabia, a real cathedral in the middle of the Awali desert, in Bahrainand what is the largest church in the entire Persian Gulf and a refuge for the country’s Catholics, about 80,000 and almost all immigrant workers from the Philippines and India.

In this imposing church, with capacity for 2,300 people and built near the small white houses that merge with the desert sand where the immigrants who work in the refineries of this rich country live, the pope participated in an ecumenical meeting with representatives of the other Christian religions, in which the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, participated.

Here the pope launched an appeal to the rest of Christians so that, “just as in this archipelago there is no lack of stable connections between the islands, it is also the same among us, so as not to be isolated, but in fraternal communion”.

The visit to this great cathedral, built on land donated by the sovereign Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and right in front of the Sakhir mosque, belonging to the royal palace complex, is one of the reasons why the pope wanted to travel to this Persian Gulf country.

Source: Elcomercio