Monsignor Berardi: during Lent and Ramadan, Bahrain under attack remains a “beacon of coexistence”

In a letter to the authorities and the people, the apostolic vicar speaks of days “marked by the pain and uncertainty of war”. He calls for a “common and tireless commitment to peace”. Iranian attacks continue, with two buildings and a hotel hit overnight. In the background are the sectarian tensions between Shiites and Sunnis that have inflamed the country in the past.

Manama (AsiaNews) - Courage and hope. This is the heart of the message addressed to the people of Bahrain by Msgr. Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar), in a letter addressed to the highest authorities of the kingdom and sent for information to AsiaNews. An appeal for ‘peace’ almost a week after the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran, followed by Tehran's response with attacks scattered throughout the region and beyond, reaching Cyprus and the borders of Europe. The prelate's message recalls Jesus' Sermon on the Mount when he says, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God’ (Matthew 5:9) at a time when bombs, missiles and drones continue to strike the country amid a serious military escalation.

The letter is addressed to King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman A1 Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa A1 Khalifa and the ‘dear people’ of Bahrain, citizens and migrant workers residing in the country. ‘As leader of the Catholic Church,’ writes the prelate, ‘I wish to address you in these difficult days, marked by the pain and uncertainty of war, with words of encouragement and hope.’

He recalls that the conflict has flared up while Christians and Muslims are experiencing ‘a particularly important religious season for each: the holy month of Ramadan and the great forty-day fast of Lent,’ which represent two ‘sacred times’ and which this year began on the same day, 18 February, not by “coincidence” but by ‘divine providence.’ This journey together while the conflict rages, he continues, highlights even more the ‘fragility of our lives,’ the ‘transience of our existence on this earth’ and, therefore, the urgency of ‘turning wholeheartedly to God, fasting and repenting for our faults and for the sins of the world.’

Monsignor Berardi invites Christians and Muslims to a common and ‘tireless’ commitment to the search for ‘paths that lead to peace,’ especially ‘for the entire Middle East region,’ through prayer ‘to the one God, the God of our patriarch Abraham.’ The Apostolic Vicar addresses a ‘special’ thought to families ‘who have lost their loved ones’ and a prayer ‘for the souls of those who have died in this war’ or who suffer its ‘physical, psychological, spiritual and material’ consequences. Finally, the prelate appealed for everyone to be able to ‘live in communion’ in a land often marked by “division” and renewed his invitation to the Kingdom of Bahrain to always be ‘a nation where harmony, mutual respect and tolerance prevail’ and to shine ‘as a beacon of coexistence’.

Meanwhile, the country continues to be the target of attacks launched by the Islamic Republic, as was the case last night. In a statement, the Bahraini Interior Ministry said that ‘the Iranian aggressor struck two hotels and a residential building in Manama, causing material damage but no loss of life.’ According to the latest information, the Ayatollah's missiles struck a hotel and two residential buildings, adding that a fire that broke out in one of the buildings hit ‘has been brought under control’ and there are no reports of injuries. Yesterday, Manama reported an Iranian air strike that caused a fire at the country's main state-owned oil refinery, but the fire was later extinguished.

Bahrain is home to major US military facilities, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, making it one of the countries most at risk of attack and, as such, closely monitoring developments in the ongoing military escalation in the region.

The attacks have raised growing concerns about the possibility of a wider regional confrontation, as hostilities continue to spread throughout the Middle East, threatening to inflame the Muslim world within it. After all, Bahrain (ruled by a monarchy), like the Emirate of Kuwait and other regional entities, despite being led by a Sunni leadership, has a substantial - if not majority in some cases - Shia representation within it. ‘There is a certain degree of tension,’ says an AsiaNews source in the capital, speaking on condition of anonymity, ‘linked not only to the ongoing conflict, but also to a hitherto latent and underground clash within Islam. I have not seen the consequences of the missiles' impact on buildings and structures directly,’ he adds, ‘because we spend most of our time indoors, following the news in the media.’

After all, there have been controversial episodes in the past that have fuelled sectarian tension, such as in 2010 when an ayatollah had his citizenship revoked as part of a series of measures against Shiites, who are the majority of citizens. In 2017, the authorities charged the Shiite opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, already in prison, with ‘espionage’ in favour of Qatar and fuelling street protests in response to directives from Doha. The year before, the government had arrested and convicted Shiite activists and religious leaders and suspended the activities of Al-Wefaq, the main Shiite opposition group, accusing them of ‘terrorism, extremism and violence’ as well as links to Iran. Analysts and experts explain that, rather than religious differences, the arrests and crackdowns by the Manama leadership appear to be politically motivated.