Religious leaders from across Bahrain gathered at St Christopher’s Cathedral on Monday for a special service of prayer for peace that also celebrated the unity and tolerance of the kingdom and its leadership.
Led by the Reverend Martin Brown and organised in cooperation with This Is Bahrain, the service included prayers from religious figures from the kingdom and beyond, in English, Arabic and Hindi. Representatives included members of the National Evangelical Church, Mar Thoma Church, Sacred Heart Church, Saint Mary’s Indian Orthodox Cathedral, Mission to Seafarers, the Baha’i Community, the Bohra Community, the Hindu community and others.
The number of people wanting to join online soon exceeded capacity, and the service was later shared on YouTube @StChristophersCathedral.
This Is Bahrain chair Betsy Mathieson praised Bahrain, the resilience of its people and its leadership, calling for an end to the suffering on all sides.
“Today, as Bahrainis mark Eid and many expatriates prepare for Easter, we come together as one family to pray for peace, stability and protection for all,” she said.
“I express our deepest gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad and to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, whose visionary leaderships have ensured that religious freedom is not only protected but also cherished in our kingdom.
“In this Year of Isa Al Kabeer, we remember the foundations laid by his courageous leadership – foundations that established Bahrain as a land where people of all faiths can worship freely, openly and with mutual respect. That legacy lives on today in the harmony we witness across our churches, temples, mosques and communities, and that freedom is what allows us to come together today.”
“Since the onset of the war, the cathedral and Awali Church have been hosting daily online services,” said council chair David Axtell. “It was a delight to be able to extend this to other faiths and faithful individuals.
“We shared prayers with people around the world, including Australia, Thailand and India, and even North and South America, ignoring time zones to pray for us and with us. We’re a body of believers building bridges, not walls.”
Photo credit and story: Gulf Daily News
