About 30,000 flag-waving worshippers joined an open-air mass held by Pope Francis in mainly Muslim Bahrain on Saturday, the highlight of his outreach mission to the Gulf.<\/p>\n
Some of the congregation had tears in their eyes as they waited to see the 85-year-old at Bahrain National Stadium, the kingdom\u2019s biggest venue.<\/p>\n
Francis, who uses a wheelchair and walking stick due to knee problems, smiled and waved to the crowds from an open-sided popemobile where he was seated, flanked by more than a dozen suited security guards and attendants.<\/p>\n
As a 100-strong, the multinational choir sang in multiple languages, the Argentine stood to kiss children lifted up to greet him in the popemobile which drove slowly towards a white stage backdropped by a giant yellow cross.<\/p>\n
The pope is on his second visit to the resource-rich Gulf \u2014 the cradle of Islam \u2014 after his 2019 trip to the United Arab Emirates, where he held a mass for 170,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been here since one o\u2019clock. We didn\u2019t sleep,\u201d said volunteer Philomina Abranches, 46, an Indian-born Bahrain resident.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are so excited. We all call him \u2018Papa\u2019. More than anything, he represents peace in the world. This is what we need now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margerite Heida, 63, also a Bahrain resident, said: \u201cHosting Pope Francis is the best feeling. This is the greatest event of the year.\u201dHeida was waiting for her second look at the pontiff.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw him yesterday in the church\u201d, she said. \u201cI consider myself lucky to be able to see him. I was also able to hold his hand yesterday and got his blessings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many worshippers came to catch a glimpse of the pope from around the Gulf region, which has about two million Catholics, mainly foreign workers from South Asia and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Everyone at the stadium received a plastic bag containing a white baseball hat, a paper Vatican flag, a bottle of water, a booklet with details of the mass, and some biscuits.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis\u2019s 39th international visit is largely aimed at building ties with Muslim officials. On Friday he met the grand imam of Egypt\u2019s Al-Azhar mosque, one of the leading authorities of Sunni Islam, and members of the Muslim Council of Elders.<\/p>\n
He also attended a service at Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, the biggest in the Arabian peninsula that seats more than 2,000. Hundreds of migrant workers were among the congregation welcoming him.<\/p>\n
Later on Saturday, Francis will meet the children at the Sacred Heart School.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, he is to attend a prayer meeting at the 83-year-old Sacred Heart Church \u2014 the oldest in the region \u2014 before flying back to Rome.<\/p>\n
Source-The Guardian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
About 30,000 flag-waving worshippers joined an open-air mass held by Pope Francis in mainly Muslim Bahrain on Saturday, the highlight of his outreach mission to the Gulf. Some of the congregation had tears in their eyes as they waited to see the 85-year-old at Bahrain National Stadium, the kingdom\u2019s biggest venue. Francis, who uses a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":110003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-regional"],"yoast_head":"\n