At the closing ceremony of the Bahrain Dialogue Forum, the Grand Imam of Azhar prayed for dialogue between the East and the West, and serious dialogue within the Islamic community. At the closing ceremony, the king of Bahrain hoped that everyone would unite to stop the Russian-Ukrainian war.
(Vatican News Network)The Bahrain Dialogue Forum with the theme of promoting the harmonious coexistence of mankind between the East and the West came to a close on the morning of November 4th at the Al-Fida Square of the Awali Sakir Palace. Pope Francis, Grand Imam Taib of Azhar and the King of Bahrain all attended the closing ceremony and delivered speeches.
Pope Francis is welcomed by the Grand Imam of Azhar, Taib, as he arrives at El Faida Square. The two religious leaders embraced cordially, once again demonstrating the profound friendship they have cultivated in recent years. They have met five times since 2016 and have deepened their relationship. In fact, they were meeting for the sixth time that afternoon.
At the closing ceremony, Grand Imam Taib said that religious talks help promote peace and dialogue between the East and the West. There must also be “serious” dialogue within the Islamic community to promote unity and reconnect with each other. Therefore, everyone should sincerely seek mutual “forgiveness” “for those things that do not agree.” We “open our hearts and hands out to our fellow Shia Muslims,” said Taib.
The forum’s sponsor, King Hamad of Bahrain, who invited Pope Francis to attend, also spoke at the closing ceremony. The King of Bahrain expressed his appreciation for all the speeches, inviting them to “look with optimism and great hope on the conclusions and recommendations of the Forum as a guide for the consolidation of the path of human fraternity”, so that “followers of different religions can be brought back to caring” and the way of understanding”.
King Hamad finally hopes for “unity, not division”. He invited leaders of all religions to unite in calling for “the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine” and “to start serious negotiations for the benefit of all mankind”.
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