Pope Francis arrived in the Bahraini capital Manama on Thursday on the first visit to the Gulf kingdom by the supreme pontiff.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa welcomed the pope as his four-day visit began in an official ceremony, according to Bahrain's public broadcaster.
Pope Francis is scheduled to on Friday address in the "Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence" which started earlier on Thursday under the auspices of the Bahraini monarch.
Pope Francis @Pontifex urges end to death penalty, promotion of basic human rights for all as he arrives in Bahrain today.
— Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei (@SAlwadaei) November 3, 2022
Reuters report: https://t.co/TYLlV2dv13
AP: https://t.co/U7rI1VAAnS
Must watched clip: pic.twitter.com/GuFcz3yS86
This is the pope's first visit to Bahrain and second to the Gulf after a visit to the UAE in 2019.
The Cairo-based Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, announced on Thursday that its Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb had also departed from Egypt to take part in the forum.
"The closing day of the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue will witness three keynote speeches, delivered by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and Pope Francis," it said in a statement.
Pope Francis has arrived in Bahrain on his first trip to the Gulf nation, calling for an end to discrimination and human rights violations.
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 3, 2022
Read more: https://t.co/JfqiviSJNI pic.twitter.com/Und7nPAEo1
About 200 figures, leaders, and religious representatives from around the world are taking part in the event.
Diplomatic relations between Bahrain and the Holy See began on Jan. 12, 2000.
Catholics make up the largest Christian community in Bahrain, which hosts 18 official churches.
