Below is the full speech of Pope Francis at the closing of the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence”, which took place this morning in Al-Fida’ Square of the “Sakhir Royal Palace” complex :
I greet you cordially, grateful for the welcome received and for the holding of this Dialogue Forum, organized under the patronage of His Majesty the King of Bahrain. This country takes its name from its waters: the word Bahrain evokes, in effect, “two seas”.
Let us think of the waters of the sea, which connect the lands and put people in communication, uniting distant peoples. “What the land divides, the sea unites,” says an old saying. And our planet earth, seen from above, is presented as an immense blue sea, which joins diverse coasts; from heaven it seems to remind us that we are a single family; not islands, but a single large archipelago. It is in this way that the Most High wants us and this country, an archipelago of more than thirty islands, can well symbolize his desire.
And yet, we live in times in which humanity, connected as never before, is much more divided than united. The name “Bahrain” can continue to help us reflect: the “two seas” of which it speaks refer to the fresh waters of its underwater sources and the salt waters of the Gulf. Similarly, today we find ourselves before two seas of opposite flavor: on the one hand, the calm and sweet sea of common coexistence; on the other, the bitter sea of indifference, overshadowed by conflicts and agitated by the winds of war, with its increasingly turbulent destructive waves, which threaten to sweep us all away.
And, sadly, East and West are becoming more and more like two opposing seas. We, on the other hand, are gathered here because we want to navigate the same sea, choosing the route of encounter and not that of conflict, the path of dialogue indicated by this Forum: «East and West for human coexistence».
After two terrible world wars, after a cold war that for decades had the world on edge, in the midst of so many disastrous conflicts in all parts of the globe, between voices of accusation, threat and condemnation, we still find ourselves teetering on the brink of a fragile balance, and we do not want to collapse.
A paradox is striking: while most of the world’s population is united by the same difficulties, afflicted by serious food, ecological and pandemic crises, as well as by an increasingly scandalous planetary injustice, some powerful people are focused on a determined fight by particular interests, unearthing obsolete languages, redefining zones of influence and opposing blocks. In this way, it seems that we are witnessing a dramatically childish scenario: in the garden of humanity, instead of taking care of the whole, they play with fire, missiles and bombs, with weapons that cause tears and death, filling the common house with ashes I gave.
These will be the bitter consequences if oppositions continue to accentuate without rediscovering understanding, if the firm imposition of one’s own despotic, imperialist, nationalist and populist models and visions persists, if we are not interested in the culture of others, if the cry of the common people and the voice of the poor are not heard, if we do not stop distinguishing in a Manichean way who is good and who is bad, if we do not make an effort to understand each other and collaborate for the good of all. These decisions are before us.
Because in a globalized world we can only get ahead rowing together; on the other hand, if we sail alone, we are drifting. In the stormy sea of conflicts, let us have before our eyes the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Common Coexistence, in which hopes are made for a fruitful meeting between the West and the East, useful for healing their respective illnesses.[1] We are here, believers in God and in the brothers, to reject “isolating thinking”, that way of seeing reality that ignores the unique sea of humanity to focus only on its own currents. We want the disputes between East and West to be resolved for the good of all, without diverting attention from another gap in constant and dramatic growth, the one between the North and the South of the world.
May the appearance of conflicts not make us lose sight of the latent tragedies of humanity, such as the catastrophe of inequalities, by which the majority of the people who populate the earth experience unprecedented injustice, the shameful plague of hunger and the calamity of climatic changes, a sign of the lack of care towards the common home. On these issues, which have been discussed these days, we religious leaders cannot fail to commit ourselves and set a good example. We have a specific role and this Forum offers us a new opportunity in this regard. Our task is to encourage and help humanity, both interdependent and disconnected, to navigate together. I would therefore like to outline three challenges that emerge from the Document on Human Fraternity and the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain, on which we have reflected in these days. These challenges concern prayer, education and action.
First of all, prayer, which touches the heart of man. In reality, the dramas that we suffer and the dangerous lacerations that we experience, “the imbalances that tire the modern world are connected with that other fundamental imbalance that has its roots in the human heart” (Gaudium et spes, 10). There is the root. And, therefore, the greatest danger does not lie in things, in material realities, in organizations, but in the inclination of the human being to close himself off in the immanence of his own self, of his own group, of his own petty interests. It is not a defect of our time, it has existed since man has been a man, but with God’s help it is possible to master it (cf. Enc. Letter Fratelli tutti, 166).
That is why prayer, the opening of the heart to the Most High, is essential to purify ourselves from selfishness, from closedness and self-referentiality, from falsehoods and injustice. He who prays receives peace in his heart and can only be its witness and messenger; and invite, mainly through example, their peers, not to become hostages of a paganism that reduces the human being to what they sell, buy or have fun with, but to rediscover the infinite dignity that each one carries recorded. The religious man, the man of peace is the one who, walking with others in the world, invites them, with sweetness and respect, to raise their eyes to heaven. And he bears in his prayer, like incense that rises towards the Most High (cf. Ps 141,2), the hardships and trials of all.
But for this to happen, a premise is essential: religious freedom. The Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain explains that “God instructs us to exercise the divine gift of freedom of choice” and therefore “all forms of religious coercion cannot lead a person to a meaningful relationship with God”. That is to say that all coercion is unworthy of the Almighty, because He has not given the world to slaves, but to free creatures, whom he totally respects.
Let us then commit ourselves so that the freedom of creatures reflects the sovereign freedom of the Creator, so that places of worship are protected and respected, always and everywhere, and prayer is promoted and never hindered. But it is not enough to grant permission and recognize freedom of worship, it is necessary to achieve true religious freedom. And not only each society, but each creed is called to examine itself on this. He is called to ask himself whether he compels God’s creatures from the outside or liberates them from the inside; if it helps man to reject rigidity, closure and violence; if it makes true freedom increase in believers, which does not mean doing what we want, but orienting ourselves to the good for which we have been created.
If the challenge of prayer refers to the heart, the second, education, essentially concerns the mind of man. The Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain states that “ignorance is the enemy of peace”. It is true, where educational opportunities are lacking, extremisms increase and fundamentalisms take root. And, if ignorance is the enemy of peace, education is a friend of development, as long as it is an instruction truly worthy of man, being dynamic and relational; so it should not be rigid and monolithic, but open to challenges and sensitive to cultural changes; not self-referential and isolating, but attentive to the history and culture of others; not static but inquisitive, to embrace diverse and essential aspects of the only humanity to which we belong.
This allows, in particular, to go to the center of problems without presuming to have the solution and to solve complex problems in a simple way, but with the willingness to assume the crisis without giving in to the logic of conflict. Indeed, it is unworthy of the human mind to believe that the reasons of force prevail over the force of reason, to use methods of the past for present questions, to apply the schemes of technique and convenience to the history and culture of the men. This requires questioning oneself, going into crisis and knowing how to dialogue with patience, respect and a spirit of listening; learn the history and culture of others. Thus the mind of man is educated, feeding reciprocal understanding. Because it is not enough to call ourselves tolerant, it is necessary to truly leave space for the other, give him rights and opportunities. It is a mentality that begins with education and that religions are called to uphold.
Specifically, I would like to highlight three educational emergencies. In the first place, the recognition of women in the public sphere, “in education, at work, in the exercise of their own social and political rights” (cf. Document on human fraternity). In this, as in other areas, education is the way to emancipate oneself from historical and social remnants contrary to that spirit of fraternal solidarity that should characterize those who worship God and love their neighbor.
Secondly, “the protection of the fundamental rights of children” (ibid.), so that they grow up educated, cared for, accompanied, not destined to live with the torment of hunger or the cries of violence. Let us educate ourselves, and let us educate ourselves, to look at the crises, the problems, the wars, with the eyes of children. It is not a naive good nature, but a wise open-mindedness, because only by thinking of them will progress be reflected in innocence and not in profits, and will contribute to building a future according to man.
Education, which begins within the family, continues in the context of the community, the town or the city. That is why I would like to underline, in the third place, education for citizenship, to live together, respectfully and legally. And, in particular, the very importance of the «concept of citizenship», which «is based on equal rights and duties». It is necessary to make an effort in this, so that we can “establish in our society the concept of full citizenship and renounce the discriminatory use of the word minorities, which brings with it the seeds of feeling isolated and inferior; it prepares the ground for hostility and discord and takes away the religious and civil rights and achievements of some citizens by discriminating against them” (ibid.).
We thus arrive at the last of the three challenges, the one that concerns action, we could say the forces of man. The Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain teaches that “when hate, violence and discord are preached, the name of God is profaned”. The one who is religious rejects this, without any pretext; he says “no” forcefully to the blasphemy of war and the use of violence. And he consistently translates, in practice, these “no”.
Because it is not enough to say that a religion is peaceful, it is necessary to condemn and isolate the violent ones who abuse its name. And it is not even enough to distance ourselves from intolerance and extremism, it is necessary to act in the opposite direction. “This is why it is necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements through the supply of money, weapons, plans or justifications and also media coverage, and consider these as international crimes that threaten world security and peace. Such terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and manifestations» (Document on Human Fraternity).
The religious man, the man of peace, is also opposed to the arms race, to the business of war, to the market of death. He does not support “alliances against someone”, but paths of encounter with everyone; without yielding to relativism or syncretism of any kind, he follows a single path, that of brotherhood, dialogue and peace. These are your “yeses”. Let’s travel, dear friends, this path let’s open our hearts to the brother, let’s advance in the process of reciprocal knowledge.
Let us forge stronger ties between us, without duplicity and without fear, in the name of the Creator who has placed us together in the world as guardians of brothers and sisters. And, if several powerful people negotiate with each other for interests, money and power strategies, let’s show that another way of meeting is possible. Possible and necessary, because force, weapons and money will never color the future with peace. Therefore, let us meet for the good of man and in the name of Him who loves man, whose Name is Peace. Let us promote concrete initiatives so that the path of the great religions is ever more effective and constant, that it be an awareness of peace for the world! From here I address my appeal to all to end the war in Ukraine and to start serious peace negotiations.
The Creator invites us to act, especially in favor of so many of his creatures who still do not find enough space in the agendas of the powerful: the poor, unborn children, the elderly, the sick, migrants. If we, who believe in the God of mercy, do not listen to the poor and do not give a voice to those who do not have one, who will? Let us be on their side, let us strive to help the wounded and tried man; By acting in this way, we will attract the blessing of the Most High on the world.
May He enlighten our steps and unite our hearts, our minds and our strength (cf. Mk 12:30) so that the worship of God is consistent with concrete and fraternal love for our neighbor, and to be together prophets of coexistence, architects of unity. , peace builders.
(Translated from ACI Prensa)