VATICAN Manama: more than 28,000 people at the Pope’s mass, including from Saudi Arabia

Climate of great expectation and enthusiasm for the pontiff’s imminent visit to the country, which is part of the vicariate of northern Arabia. The stadium will be packed and the faithful will enter throughout the night. The celebration will take place at 8:30 am on November 5. 2,000 places have been reserved for Christians from the Wahhabi kingdom.

Manama (). Nearly 28,000 people will participate in the mass that Pope Francis will celebrate at the Bahrain National Stadium on November 5, during the pontiff’s “historic visit” to the Arab country. The local organizers of the event also confirmed the presence of delegations from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and announced that the venue will already be full hours before the ceremony begins, at 8:30 in the morning. The faithful will be transferred to Riffa, where the mass will be celebrated, in buses that will begin to circulate from midnight.

John E. John, director of communications for the Apostolic Vicariate of South Arabia, confirmed to The Nation that “for the papal mass we expect 28,000 people, which is the maximum number that the capacity of the stadium admits.” Most of them, about 24 thousand, are citizens of Bahrain and two thousand faithful come from Saudi Arabia (immigrant Catholics from the Philippines, India and other Asian and African countries). To them is added a quota of 500 places that has been reserved for the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman. And finally there are 900 places for faithful from other countries.

The presence of Islamic leaders and a representation of the Muslim community is also expected at the events.

Local sources report that a climate of “great enthusiasm” reigns as the papal visit approaches, from November 3 to 6, with stops in Manama, Riffa and Muharraq.

“Our pastor is coming”, explains Fr. Saji Thomas, parish priest of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, and everyone is looking forward to the month of November to welcome him in a community party atmosphere. More than 700 volunteers and about 300 Eucharistic ministers – lay people called to help distribute communion during mass – will collaborate in the event, and 120 priests, bishops and cardinals will concelebrate.

The vast majority of the faithful, who will not be able to be present due to the limited number of seats, will be able to follow the events thanks to the live broadcast on the internet. The apostolic administrator of the North Arabian vicariate Msgr. Paul Hinder explained: “I know that many of you are disappointed that you cannot participate in the Pope’s mass. But we must keep in mind that the size of a stadium cannot be adapted to the total size of our Catholic community in Bahrain, much less the Catholic community in the vicariate.” And he made a special reference to so many Catholics and Christians “from neighboring countries, who are very numerous and are making enormous sacrifices to go to the places where the celebrations will take place.”