background of The Visit

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4 February 2014 - Pope Francis thanked the King of Bahrain for donating land for a new Cathedral. The Pope sent a letter to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, which was delivered in person by Nuncio Msgr. Petar Radjic 0n 3 February 2014.

In the letter, Pope Francis noted that "with the donation of a new place of worship, His Majesty has shown that the Kingdom of Bahrain welcomes people of various nations and ethnic groups and religion, which are brothers and sisters in one human family, equal in dignity and worthy of esteem and respect".
 

3 February 2020 - Pope Francis received the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in an audience at the Vatican. The prince invited Pope Francis to visit his country. The prince noted that Christians are not seen as guests, but as citizens of the country.

The prince presented the Pope with a small coffer with geometric figures evoking seasons. The Pope gave the prince a medallion with an inscription about peace.

25 November 2021 - King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa officially invited Pope Francis to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The invitation was brought to the Pope by Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, the King's adviser on diplomatic affairs. He was received at the Vatican by the Pope and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. 

The official Bahraini news agency also reports the Pope's "sincere thanks" to the monarch of Bahrain for "the kind invitation to visit the kingdom he loves and cherishes," as it is a "model of openness and coexistence between its various social components". The Pope - as stated in the official Bahraini report - also expressed his appreciation "for the wisdom of His Majesty King Hamed and his constant concern for the promotion of the culture of dialogue and tolerance" and praised his initiatives "aimed at consolidating and to spread the principles of coexistence and fraternity among all countries and peoples".
 

9 December 2021 - The newly-constructed Cathedral of “Our Lady of Arabia”, Awali, Bahrain, was inaugurated on 9 December by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples consecrated the Cathedral dedicated to Our Lady. 

Cardinal Tagle also presented a letter from Pope Francis to the Bahraini King, who, for his part, expressed his desire to receive the Pope in Bahrain one day. 

27 January 2022 - HM the King receives a written message from Pope Francis, regarding the close bilateral cooperation relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Vatican.