Manama, Nov.3 (BNA): Diplomats have welcomed His Holiness Pope Francis’ historic visit to Bahrain and termed it a major step forward to further hope for peaceful co-existence and tolerance through dialogue.

Ambassadors of different countries, who attended the Bahrain Dialogue Forum attended a welcome reception hosted by His Majesty King for His Holiness Pope Francis at Al Sakhir Palace on Thursday.

Speaking to Bahrain News Agency (BNA) on the sidelines of the reception, the envoys have underlined the importance of His Majesty King’s initiative to host the ‘East and West for Human Coexistence’ dialogue forum and used this step as a way forward for achieve peace and harmony through dialogue, a cornerstone laid down in all divine religions.

“Today here at Sakhir Palace, His Majesty King Hamad has just welcomed His Holiness the Pope. The fact that this is occurring, really communicates everything that we need to know about diversity, tolerance, and I would say even celebration of different religions here in Bahrain,” US Ambassador to Bahrain, Steven C. Bondy said,

“Clearly, the Pope has decided to highlight Bahrain’s very forward-thinking views and we as the diplomatic corps are very happy to help celebrate that.”

British Ambassador to Bahrain Roderick Drummond said that these are very special few days around the visit.

“It was amazing to listen to His Holiness and His Majesty tonight and their words supporting peace and dialogue,” he said.

“I think it was wonderful to see in front of them all the different faiths cooperate, coexist quite freely here in Bahrain. It is because Bahrain is a fantastic place for religious tolerance and coexistence. I hope people across the region and beyond are listening to these messages of peace and dialogue.”

German Ambassador to Bahrain Clemens Hach said: First of all, congratulations to His Majesty the King for successfully hosting this event today. It is a great sign of openness and tolerance of peace from Bahrain goes out to the world.”

“So, I think the first thing we have to recognize in this event is the message of peace from Bahrain. And I thought that both the remarks of His Majesty and His Holiness the Pope were spot on, were talking about the importance of religion and dialogue.

It is important to have discussions with religious leaders to ensure peace between the religions for peace to avoid conflict. Also, His Holiness has found very clear words on war and the horror and lies that it brings, It was a very good start to historic visit.”

Pakistan Ambassador to Bahrain, Muhammed Ayub said that Bahrain is hosting a global interfaith dialogue on religious freedoms, and peaceful co-existence, under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa.

“This is a remarkable initiative. Pakistan greatly values and supports the dialogue.” He said.

“Pakistan is actively participating in the dialogue at the Ministerial level. Our honourable Federal Minister for Religious Affairs of Pakistan and the Honourable Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Middle East and Religious Affairs is representing Pakistan in the dialogue.”

His Majesty King Hamad has always been supporting the principles of peaceful coexistence, religious freedoms, mutual tolerance, and human dignity, he added.

“Under the leadership of His Majesty, Bahrain has made great strides to build on these principles. It is no wonder that Bahrain has had a unique experience of peaceful coexistence for thousands of years, embracing all religions, nationalities, and cultures,” he said.

“We greatly commend His Majesty’s vision and initiatives on religious freedoms and interfaith dialogue. The Kingdom has become an ideal destination for expatriates to live in stability and harmony. There are great opportunities for expatriate communities to practice their faith, interact with people from diverse countries, gain insights into the rich local culture, and contribute to the Bahraini culture and society.

“We have a large Pakistani community in Bahrain. The hardworking and loyal Pakistanis consider the kingdom as their second home.

And they contribute to the socio-economic development of Bahrain. They are happy in Bahrain, and they are treated with dignity and respect.”

His Holiness Pope Francis of the Vatican, Al Azhar Al Sharif Grand Imam and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders Dr Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Al Tayeb are gracing the occasion, he added.

“The presence of the two great religious leaders of Islam and Christianity would go a long way toward the success of the Dialogue and in promoting the message of peaceful co-existence, tolerance, and respect for human dignity.”

The role of interreligious dialogue in the modern world can hardly be overestimated. This is because close cooperation between religious leaders can eliminate or mitigate conflicts between peoples and nations, the ambassador said.

“The growing issues like religious intolerance, Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism and hate speech can be tackled only through principles of peaceful co-existence and human dignity. The dialogue contributes to an atmosphere of peace and stability, as well as to uniting believers of different faiths to fight against global problems together,” he said.