Bahrain King presents Pope with model of largest church in the Arabian Peninsula

May 20, 2014 - ‎When King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain met Pope Francis in the Vatican on Monday, he ‎presented him a scale model of the "largest church in the Arabian Peninsula," which is slated for ‎construction in the small Gulf state. After a 20-minute private meeting between the Holy Father and ‎the Bahraini monarch through an interpreter, the two leaders exchanged gifts. The king gave the pope a ‎large red box with a scale model of the future Catholic Vicariate of Bahrain. The words, "The largest ‎church in North Arabia, which will be built in the Kingdom of Bahrain" were inscribed on the model. ‎
In offering the gift to Pope Francis, the King of Bahrain also described the area where the Catholic ‎Vicariate will rise, built near two mosques, one from the early Islamic era and the other inaugurated in ‎‎1988, and an Islamic cultural centre. "The two nearby mosques will protect the vicariate," King Hamad ‎said. The Pope reciprocated by giving his guest a medal with the Angel of Peace, explaining to him ‎that it is a "symbol of peace and solidarity." (Source: AsiaNews ‎)