Having just arrived in the Gulf country for his apostolic visit, Pope Francis stated: “Work is often lacking, as valuable as bread; many times, it is poisoned bread, because it enslaves”. And about the soon forgotten war in Yemen: “Let the weapons be silent and let us really commit ourselves to peace!”
Awali () – “From this country, so attractive for the job opportunities it offers, I would like to point out the emergence of the global labor crisis. Work is often lacking, as valuable as bread; frequently it is poisoned bread, because it enslaves”. From the Royal Palace of Sakhir in Awali, the first stage of his apostolic journey to Bahrain, this afternoon Pope Francis launched a strong appeal to the entire world on the dignity of work in his first speech to the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps, immediately after courtesy visit to King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
Words that are very significant because they were spoken in a place like the Persian Gulf that has become the destination of millions of migrant workers, often victims of dramatic working conditions. The Pope warned about those situations in which man, “from being the sacred and inviolable end of work, is reduced to a means to produce money.” “That safe and dignified working conditions be guaranteed everywhere – he added – that do not impede but favor cultural and spiritual life; that promote social cohesion, in favor of common life and the very development of countries”. Acknowledging Bahrain’s “valuable achievements in this regard,” Francis expressed the hope that it could be a beacon “that promotes, throughout the region, rights and fair and increasingly better conditions for workers, women and youth, guaranteeing the At the same time, respect and attention for those who suffer the greatest marginalization in society, such as those who have emigrated and prisoners. True, human and integral development is measured above all by attention to them”.
He then referred to the fact that many national, ethnic and religious groups coexist in the country, stating that Bahrain’s experience shows that “we can and must live together in our world, which for decades has become a global village but , although globalization is taken for granted, in many ways the ‘spirit of the village’ is still unknown: hospitality, the search for the other, fraternity”.
On the eve of the opening of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP27 – which opens on Sunday in Sharm el Sheick, Egypt – Francis has also renewed his concern about the environmental crisis. “Let us not get tired of working for this dramatic emergency, making concrete decisions with a vision of the future, thinking of the young generations, before it is too late and their future is compromised.”
Finally, he once again denounced the “monstrous and senseless reality of war, which sows destruction everywhere and prevents hope.” “Every war -he added- also represents the death of truth. Let’s reject the logic of weapons and reverse course, turning huge military spending into investments to combat hunger, lack of health care and education.” And looking at the Arabian Peninsula, Francis addressed “a special and heartfelt thought to Yemen, martyred by a forgotten war that, like any war, does not lead to any victory, but only to bitter defeats for all. I remember in prayer especially the civilians, the children, the elderly and the sick, and I implore: let the weapons be silent! -he concluded- Let us commit ourselves everywhere and truly for peace! ”.
