Based on its cultural heritage, noble human values, and the common denominators of the principles of coexistence and tolerance through which it was able to present to the world a role model, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Vatican, participated yesterday, the ceremony of the inauguration ceremony of His Holiness Pope Robert Brevost “Liu XIV” with an official delegation represented by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of the country, headed by His Highness Sheikh Issa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Endowment of Issa bin Salman Al -Khairi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Labor Fund “Tamkeen”, amid a high -ranking global participation of presidents, leaders and representatives of the delegations of about 200 countries, to attend the huge festive holes witnessed by St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
This high participation represents a clear reflection of the level of close relations and cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Vatican, which culminated in the inauguration of official diplomatic relations between them on January 12, 2000, and the two sides were linked to relations of cooperation, partnership and mutual respect, which were based in their essence and targets to serve humanitarian issues, spread peace, love and harmony between peoples, enhance the values, principles of tolerance and coexistence between various religions Cultures and ethnicities, and work to extend bridges of confidence and constructive dialogue between the Islamic and Christian worlds.
In this context, the relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Vatican present witnessed during the previous papal period headed by His Holiness, Pope Francis, who left our world on the twenty -sixth of last April, a lot of progress and prosperity, which was reflected in the multiplicity of mutual visits made by all His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of the country, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, to the attendance of the Vatican Also, the visits by senior officials and ambassadors of the Apostolic Chair for the Vatican in the Arab region to the Kingdom of Bahrain, in order to enhance the distinguished cooperation relations between the two sides.
It also represented the historical visit by His Holiness the late Pope Francis to the Kingdom of Bahrain in November 2022, and his participation in the Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for human coexistence “in the presence of the Honorable Imam d. Ahmed Al -Tayeb, Sheikh of Al -Azhar Al -Sharif, Chairman of the Council of Muslim Elders, is an important historical turning point in the history of external visits by the former Pope, and contributed to the consolidation of the paths and approaches of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s permanent and fixed in emphasizing its continuous efforts towards devoting and activating the values of human brotherhood and coexistence between different civilizations and human beings of different affiliations, in order to achieve global peace and stability.
Bahrain considered the departure of His Holiness, the late Pope Francis, a great loss and through His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of the country, in a telegram of condolences and sympathy on this occasion, about his majesty’s valuation of the great role played by His Holiness Pope Francis in supporting dialogue and coexistence between religions, cultures and civilizations, spreading the values of human brother Fair issues, rejection of conflicts and wars, and the respect and appreciation of his holiness.
The Kingdom of Bahrain also expressed its best wishes for the sanctity of Pope Robert Privost “Liu XIV” for success and success in his duties and aspiration towards documenting historical ties with the Vatican, which contributes to the consolidation of the concepts of love and harmony and the promotion of peace and global stability. In light of the comprehensive development process that during the prosperous era of His Majesty the King, she was keen to launch the leading and inspiring humanitarian initiatives that reflected the directives of His Majesty, and the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, in strengthening the leadership of Bahrain and its successes in establishing dialogue, tolerance and peace.
The pioneering global initiative of His Majesty King, may God protect and preserve him, came to establish the King Hamad Award for Coexistence, embodying His Majesty’s enlightened vision to establish noble human values for a safe, peaceful and sustainable world, as this award represented the human dimensions stemming from the ancient historical and civilizational heritage of the Kingdom of Bahrain in openness, and its goals to enhance the values of coexistence and dialogue of civilizations Cultures, rejection of extremism, violence and hatred.
The international award also came within the successive royal initiatives implemented by the King Hamad International Center for Coexistence and Tolerance, such as the inauguration of the King Hamad Chair for Interfaith Dialogue at the Italian University of “Sabinza”, and the call of His Majesty the King to pass an international agreement to criminalize religious, sectarian and racist hate speeches, and other royal royal initiatives that carry a message of good and peace and hope for humanity, and prosperity for peoples.
The inauguration celebrations witnessed by St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican metropolis in the Italian capital, Rome, are the official start of the Pope of His Holiness “Liu XIV” at the head of the Catholic Church, after his election from the Cardinals Council in the Vatican known as “Congolese” on the eighth of May this May to be the “Great ink” head of the bishops complex, and the roofs of Rome.
Pope Robert Brevost is the first American Pope to hold this position in the history of the Vatican, and he chose for himself the name of Lyon XIV. Pope Liu fourteen was born in the city of Chicago, USA, 1955, and lived for many years in Peru, as a Catholic ROM leader. It is one of the prominent figures as one of the leading men of the Catholic Church, and has the confidence of the various major Cardinals and Catholic bishops in the world. The Pope held several senior church positions, the last of which was before the papacy, the rank of Cardinal in 2023, and then his promotion to the rank of Cardinal Bishop in February 2025, in the diocese of “Albano” near Rome.
The Pope is considered the Great Pontiff No. 267 in the history of the presidency of the Papules of the Catholic Church. The new Pope mastered several languages, including English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, as well as Latin and German.
During his reception of the members of the diplomatic corps adopted in the Vatican after his election ceremony, Pope Liu fourteen disclosed the outline of the foreign policy that the Vatican will follow with his chairmanship, which stressed that it is continuing to adopt the general approach of the former Pope Francis on coexistence and peace issues, stressing that achieving global peace requires eradicating the causes of conflicts, wars and dialogue between religions, He inspired the words of his predecessor that “true peace is not just a truce between a confrontation and another.”
