Pope Francis in Bahrain

At a major interreligious summit, both Pope Francis and the grand imam of Al Azhar, Sunni Islam's top cleric, called on faith leaders to join forces in the fight against climate change. Here are five notable quotes.

Pope Francis' direct challenge to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Bahrain's treatment of prisoners and its practice of capital punishment stunned family members who seek reprieve for their death row loved ones.

Pope Francis, returning from a four-day visit to the Persian Gulf on Nov. 6, gave an impassioned defense of women's rights, strongly condemning the practice of female genital mutilation and decrying those who treat women as "second class citizens."

Pope Francis on Nov. 5 celebrated Mass for over 30,000 faithful from across the Arabian Peninsula, telling the region's tiny minority Catholic population that working toward peace must always be the aim of the Christian life.  

The top cleric of one of the two long-divided branches of Islam has called for Sunni and Shiite Muslim leaders to meet together in a joint dialogue, during the pope's visit to Bahrain.

Pope Francis sketched a broad peace plan for the twenty-first century in an address to an inter-religious summit in Bahrain on Nov. 4, calling on world leaders to reject imperialistic and nationalistic impulses that he said lead to "child-like" wars, and, instead, to prioritize the needs of those on the margins.

Pope Francis kicked off a four-day visit to Bahrain Nov. 3 by appealing to the country to strengthen its commitment to human rights through the abolition of the death penalty and ending religious discrimination.

When Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to set foot in Bahrain during his upcoming Nov. 3-6 visit, in many ways, it will be a journey that began not in Rome, but five years ago with his 2017 visit to Egypt.

Pope Francis will visit the Kingdom of Bahrain from Nov. 3-6, the Vatican confirmed on Sept. 28.