Vatican Publishes Schedule For Pope’s Visit To Bahrain
By Marie
The Vatican has published Pope Francis’ visit to Bahrain on Nov. 3-6 and this will make him the first pope to visit the archipelago nation in the Persian Gulf.
The focus of the visit will be the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence in Awali and meetings with top Muslim leaders, but it will also include an ecumenical gathering and a prayer for peace in the newly built Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, a Mass and meetings with Catholics in the Muslim-majority nation.
Here is the detailed schedule released by the Vatican on Oct. 6. Times listed are local, with Eastern Time in parenthesis.
Thursday, Nov. 3 (Rome, Awali)
— 9:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m.) Departure from Rome’s Fiumicino airport.
— 4:45 p.m. (9:45 a.m.) Arrival at Sakhir air base in Awali and official welcome.
— 5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m.) Courtesy visit with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at Sakhir Palace.
— 6:10 p.m. (11:10 a.m.) Welcome ceremony in the courtyard of Sakhir Palace.
— 6:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m.) Meeting with authorities, members of the diplomatic corps and local representatives at the palace. Speech by the pope.
Friday, Nov. 4 (Awali)
— 10 a.m. (3 a.m.) Closing of the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence at Al-Fida’ Square at Sakhir Palace. Speech by the pope.
— 4 p.m. (9 a.m.) Private meeting with Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar mosque and university, at the residence where the pope is staying on the grounds of the palace.
— 4:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m.) Meeting with the members of the Muslim Council of Elders at the royal palace’s mosque. Speech by the pope.
— 5:45 p.m. (10:45 a.m.) Ecumenical meeting and a prayer for peace at Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral. Speech by the pope.
Saturday, Nov. 5 (Awali)
— 8:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m.) Mass at Bahrain National Stadium. Homily by the pope.
— 5 p.m. (10 a.m.) Meeting with young people at Sacred Heart School. Speech by the pope.
Sunday, Nov. 6 (Awali, Manama, Awali, Rome)
— 9.30 a.m. (1:30 a.m.) Prayer meeting and Angelus prayer with bishops, priests, religious, seminarians and pastoral workers at Sacred Heart Church in Manama. Speech by the pope.
— 12:30 p.m. (4:30 a.m.) Farewell ceremony at Sakhir air base in Awali.
— 1 p.m. (5 a.m.) Departure by plane for Rome.
— 5 p.m. (11 a.m.) Arrival at Rome’s Fiumicino airport.
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