On the third day of his apostolic journey to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Pope Francis visited the Sacred Heart School to meet with young people. The Pope was welcomed with flowers and this choir's hymns.
In the school gymnasium, about 800 students gathered to listen to the Pope. The principal described the school as a small symbol of the diversity of the country. The students are of 29 nationalities and they are part of different cultures and religions.
Lieutenant Abdulla Atiya Sayed is a former student, who is in the Royal Guard and has broken a Guinness World Record. He explained that there are Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jews at the school. They all celebrate their major holidays together.
Nevin Varghese Fernandez, a 31-year-old Catholic, said that although her friends are Muslims, they share the same values as her. They always accompanied her at important moments in her faith such as her first Communion and Confirmation. During her testimony, she asked the Pope this question:
Is there any advice you can give us from your own personal experience as a teenager?
Pope Francis said he was very happy to see young people of different religions together and answered the question by inviting them to be 'leaven in the dough.'
POPE FRANCIS
It is you young people who, as restless travelers open to the unprecedented, are not afraid to confront, dialogue, 'make noise' and mingle with others, becoming the basis of a friendly and supportive society.
The Pope proposed three challenges to the students—to embrace the culture of caring, to be champions of fraternity and to be brave enough to make choices in life.
POPE FRANCIS
Friends, how wonderful it is to become caregivers, artists of relationships! But this requires, like everything in life, constant training. So do not forget to first of all take care of yourselves.
Pope Francis told them that he was not referring to physical care but to caring for the soul. And he encouraged them to take time to reflect in silence to know what is being asked of them. The Pope also made a request.
POPE FRANCIS
As Pope I want to tell you: the Church is with you and needs you so much—She needs each of you a lot to rejuvenate, to explore new paths, to experiment with new languages, to become more joyful and hospitable. Never lose the courage to dream and live big! To greatness!
At the end of the meeting, the Pope signed the school's book of honor saying that dedicating time and energy to the education of young people is the path to building peace.
RM
TR: KG
