Pope Francis meets members of the Muslim Council of Elders in Bahrain, stressing that “the God of peace never incites hatred and never approves of violence”.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis met with members of the Muslim Council of Elders at the Al Sakir Palace Mosque in Bahrain on the afternoon of November 4. On this occasion, the Pope reaffirms that God is “the source of peace” and invites everyone to be the “channel” of God’s peace.
In the afternoon, Pope Francis had a private meeting with the Grand Imam of Azhar Taib, and then the two entered the mosque together to attend the gathering. This Muslim Council of Elders, led by the Grand Imam of Azhar, promotes reconciliation within the Muslim community, avoids division and conflict, and overcomes extremism. The Pope praised this in front of a group of Muslim elders.
“The God of Peace never leads people to war, never incites hatred, never approves of violence. And those of us who believe in him are called, through the tools of peace, such as meeting, patient negotiation and dialogue, to promote peace.”
“A future full of fraternity must precede a past full of hostility. We must overcome the prejudices and misunderstandings of history in the name of God, that is, in the name of the fountain of peace,” the Pope stressed.
In this mission, religious leaders are called to support believers of different religions and cultures. “Under the cloak of globalization, human beings can hardly breathe, fear and restless. In the face of increasingly wounded and fragmented human beings, major religious beliefs should be like the heart to maintain the limbs of the body, and like the soul to bring hope and hope to a higher hope. life”.
The Pope once again referred to the image of the “Tree of Life” and “God’s wonderful plan for mankind”. Humanity, however, strayed far from the Creator and the order He instituted, resulting in a “flood of sin and death.” “Societal and international scourges, economic and personal scourges, as well as today’s tragic environmental crises, all result from a situation of distance from God and neighbors,” the Pope said.
In this regard, prayer and fraternity can “help mankind to re-draw this fountain of ancient wisdom, enabling believers to worship God again” and to be close to others. “We should not be seduced by other tools, the shortcuts of those who are not worthy of the Most High,” the Pope said. “Those who believe in the justification of force, who encourage violence, wars and arms markets, the ‘death bargain’, insult the Lord of Peace. name”. The growing arms trade “is turning our common home into a huge arsenal”.
The Pope went on to recall the tragic situation of those migrants who were forced to flee the conflict, saying: “We should, with the wisdom of our elders and fathers, remember that God and our neighbor are above everything else.” Only God and fraternity can save us.
In addition, religious leaders have a responsibility to model what they preach. Everyone asks important questions about life, but many are slumbering and others are “silent from trauma such as hunger and poverty”. Religious leaders, for reasons such as negligence, did not make efforts to preach God and peace.
The Pope finally called on everyone present to “support each other in this regard and continue to move forward hand in hand after this gathering”. “We shall be blessed by the Most High, and by the least of His beloved creatures.”
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