The King extended an invitation to a coexistence forum with the aim of improving his image as a patron of interfaith dialogue. The objective was to use the Pope's visit to whitewash the king's record of sectarian persecution against the Shia majority, hoping that the visit would obscure his dark history in the realm of religious freedoms.

Between Pope Francis and Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Pope wins; between him and the Lebanese Shiite authority Sayed Ali Al-Amine, the Pope also wins.

Bahraini opposition leader and Al-Wefaq Secretary-General, Sheikh Ali Salman, sent a letter from his prison cell to his eminence Sheikh of Al-Azhar regarding the call he launched during "Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence".

The pontiff of the Catholic Church, the master of the Vatican, Pope Francis, left Bahrain on Sunday from the airport of Sakhir Air Base, but he entered its history forever.

Al-Wefaq announced that his Holiness, the Pope of Vatican, discussed with Bahrain's King and Crown Prince, separately, the necessary to turn the page of 2011 crisis, urging them to stop sectarian discrimination and achieve justice and equity at all levels.

From Manama, you called on Shia scholars to hold an intra-Muslim dialogue; but the question is: Which scholars do you want? If you want unpopular Shia scholars, they have been sitting next to you for the past two days at the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue.

Al-Wefaq, Bahrain's largest opposition society, announced its support for "what was mentioned in Pope Francis speech on Bahrain's need for the practical implementation of the set of rules and foundations related to freedoms, cessation of discrimination and respect for human rights."

The Bahraini government's attempts to exploit the Pope's visit to polish its black record and portray itself as an incubator of tolerance and religious pluralism have failed.

The National Communication Center in Bahrain issued a statement in which it criticized Al-Jazeera Channel's coverage of the Pope's statements through which he called on the King and authorities to commit to combat discrimination on religious grounds and abolish death sentences.

Death row inmate Mohammad Ramadan has urged Pope Francis to call for his release during the pontiff's visit to the Gulf state and to ask the king of Bahrain to release him and reunite him with him family and children.

Deputy Secretary-General of Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, Sheikh Hussein Al-Daihi, expressed his society's appreciation to Pope Francis' calls after arriving in Bahrain on Thursday to counter religious discrimination and protect constitutional obligations.

In an interview with the chairperson of the Arab Committee for Human Rights (ACHR), Dr. Violette Dagher hoped that his Holiness "sends at least a strong message to the political authorities in a country that suffers from political authoritarianism."

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said, "The Kingdom of Bahrain, in accordance with its principles, is dedicated to affirm, maintain and abide by human rights, in practice, and establishes frameworks to ensure their preservation."

A Bahrain government spokesman said in a statement that "no individual in the kingdom has been arrested or detained over his belief," adding that the constitution protects freedom of expression.

Al-Wefaq Society stressed in a letter to his Holiness, Pope Francis, on the eve of his visit to Bahrain, that the reality in the country is not as the authorities depict it, noting that the authorities are attempting to exploit the pope's visit to cover up the systemic discrimination.

Pope Francis spoke against the death penalty on Thursday at the start of a trip to Bahrain where the Shi'ite Muslim opposition accuse the Sunni monarchy of overseeing human rights abuses and families of death row inmates had sought help from the pontiff.

Pope Francis urged the authorities in Bahrain on Thursday to abolish the death penalty and commit to guaranteeing basic human rights for all citizens as he arrived in the island kingdom of Bahrain, where systematic discrimination against its Shiite majority has been reported by human rights groups.

Pope Francis urged the authorities in Bahrain on Thursday to abolish the death penalty and commit to guaranteeing basic human rights for all citizens as he arrived in the island kingdom of Bahrain, where systematic discrimination against its Shiite majority has been reported by human rights groups.

130 human rights organizations and bodies issued a joint statement, calling on Pope Francis to adopt an initiative to urge the Bahraini authorities to end human rights violations.

Welcome to Bahrain, the land of faith, the land of the sons of Abdul Qays. We have taken in the message of Christ here since the third century AD, and perhaps before that. This faith and love for Christ and his mother are still imprinted in the fabric of our existence.