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On the first-ever papal visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Pope Francis will close a forum on dialogue, meet with the grand imam of al-Azhar, and pray at a new Catholic cathedral. The Vatican released the full itinerary for the pope’s November 3-6 trip to the Muslim island nation in the Persian Gulf. The theme of the visit is “Peace on earth to people of goodwill,” inspired by Luke 2:14. The logo is a stylized image of two hands open toward God: one in the colors of the Vatican flag and one with the flag of Bahrain. An olive branch represents peace, while the text “Pope Francis” is in the color blue to represent the visit’s entrustment to the Virgin Mary. Bahrain, located to the east of Saudi Arabia and west of Qatar, has a population of 1.7 million. The population is nearly 70% Muslim, with the majority belonging to the Shiite branch of Islam, the country’s state religion. Christians, at approximately 210,000 people, make up 14% of the overall population, followed by Hindus at 10%.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252483/pope-francis-to-meet-muslim-leaders-small-christian-community-in-bahrain
Police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, arrested a man Wednesday after he allegedly attacked a desk attendant with a sword and started a fire at Holy Family Cathedral. Police said a man attacked an employee of the building with a sword, lit incendiary devices, and attempted to set the building ablaze. There were children at the location, all of which were unharmed. The man was apprehended a short time later. The rector of the cathedral, Father Gary Kastl, identified the desk attendant as Ron Notzon. Kastl said Notzon confronted the suspect and received lacerations on his hands. Kastl said the church will offer a Mass for Notzon’s healing at 9am Thursday and will have priests, deacons, and counselors available after Mass at 11:30 am.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252480/police-man-attacked-tulsa-cathedral-attendant-with-sword-tried-to-set-building-on-fire
A man visiting the Vatican museums in Rome on Wednesday flung two ancient Roman busts to the ground, causing moderate damage to the valuable works of art. According to an article in the newspaper Il Messaggero, the middle-aged American tourist asked to see the pope and became enraged when told that would not be possible. He then threw one bust to the ground and knocked the other over while trying to run away. The man had bought a ticket to the Vatican’s Chiaramonti Museum where the busts were displayed. After the incident, he was restrained by security guards and taken to the police station for questioning. The Vatican said damage to the busts “is not significant, the faces have not suffered great damage, perhaps one of the two specimens has detached a piece of the nose.” The busts have been moved to the marble restoration workshop of the Vatican Museums.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252476/tourist-who-wanted-to-see-the-pope-smashes-busts-at-the-vatican-museums
Today the Church celebrates Saint Bruno of Cologne, founder of the Carthusian order of monks who remain notable for their strictly traditional and austere rule of contemplative life.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-bruno-founder-616