Awali – “As leader of the Catholic Church of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, and as Bishop of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and in the name of the entire Catholic Christian community — priests, religious men and women, and lay faithful — whom I represent, I wish to address you in these difficult days, marked by the pain and uncertainty of war, with words of encouragement and hope.”
Almost a week after the start of the war in the Gulf area , the Apostolic Vicar, Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T., addressed King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, members of the Government, citizens of Bahrain, and all its residents, wishing peace and serenity for all.
“The outbreak of this war has found us all, both the Muslim and the Christian communities, in a particularly important religious season for each: the holy month of Ramadan and the great forty-day fast of Lent, respectively,” the Bishop continued. “I believe that these two sacred times, not by coincidence but by divine providence, began on the same day this year, February 18. Muslims and Christians have begun this journey together, reminded — and the war makes it even more evident — of the fragility of our lives, the transience of our existence on this earth, and therefore of the need to turn wholeheartedly to God, fasting and repenting for our faults and for the sins of the world.”
“May this journey of Ramadan and Lent, which we have begun together, unite us also in these difficult moments marked by conflict, working tirelessly in the search for paths that lead to peace, with the desire to return to times of serenity, both for the people of the Kingdom of Bahrain in particular and for the entire Middle East region. Through fasting and constant and sincere prayer — rising from hearts in need of consolation and help — may we intercede before the one God, the God of our Patriarch Abraham, for the restoration of peace.
I ask God in a special way to console all the families who have lost their loved ones; I also pray for the souls of those who have died during this present war, and for all those who, in one way or another, are being affected physically, psychologically, spiritually, and materially by this conflict.
Let us be peacemakers, as Jesus Christ reminds us in the Sermon on the Mount, and let us ask God to inspire paths of unity so that the roar of missiles may cease and we may, once and for all, live in communion in a land — the Middle East — so often marked, unfortunately, by division.
I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to all those who, with responsibility and dedication, defend our borders and safeguard the security of the Kingdom.”
“May the Kingdom of Bahrain, which has always distinguished itself as a nation where harmony, mutual respect, and tolerance prevail, continue to shine as a beacon of coexistence and hope in this region; and may Almighty God bless its people, safeguard its stability, and grant it the enduring and precious gift of peace.”
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