Bishop Berardi: ‘We must pray not to be swept up in this spiral’

By Olivier Bonnel

Speaking from his vicariate house in Awali, Bahrain, Bishop Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, does not hide his concern, as the war has crossed a new threshold in the region.

Israel and American have carried out bombardments in Iran, and the Islamic Republic has responded, launching missiles at several Gulf countries, where US military bases are also located.

On Saturday, February 28, the first day of the bombings, Bishop Berardi sent a communiqué to all priests and men and women religious of his vicariate, which covers four countries of the Arabian Peninsula—Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar.

He emphasized that this is “a time of uncertainty” and asked everyone to take shelter, remain united in prayer, and follow the security instructions of local authorities.

After Pope Leo XIV launched an appeal for peace at the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Bishop Berardi spoke to Vatican News in the following interview about the situation on the ground.

[Bishop Berardi:] We were, of course, expecting an intervention from the Pope this Sunday, because the situation is truly complicated. The region is already very complex because of geopolitics and its economic implications, and now, with this Israeli-American intervention, it has unleashed—I would not say hell—but something we were not expecting.

On the other hand, we were telling ourselves that Iran might respond in an unrestrained way, since it was struck at the heart of its society; this has unleashed even more hatred and vengeance. We are caught in a logic of “you strike me, I strike you; you attack me, I attack you.”

Q: Many Gulf cities have been hit by missiles in retaliation. What is the current situation where you are in Bahrain, and in the other countries of the region?

Just a little while ago, (around 1:00 p.m. Rome time, ed.), a missile passed over the Bishop’s residence here, and the debris were intercepted by Bahrain; they fell next to the cathedral. We had a fire not far from the building. That has really shaken us, especially since the cathedral is new.

There have been missile launches since yesterday. So, we have closed all the churches to avoid problems. It is not the churches themselves that are directly targeted, but debris and explosions can damage buildings and, above all, injure people. It is continuing: there are regular alarms, and so everyone remains at home. We do not go out for safety reasons. Life has slowed down in a certain way, and our churches are closed.

The priests celebrate Mass together in the evening for peace; this is what I requested in each parish, that all the priests together celebrate Mass for peace. This is being done by video, for Manama and for Kuwait. People asked to be able to participate, but we do not want to take the risk.

In Qatar, for example, the church was closed by the police; the entire religious compound was shut down—no one goes in, no one goes out—and there was also debris not far from the religious buildings. Everyone is praying, and we are waiting for things to calm down.

Q: The Pope spoke of the moral responsibility of leaders to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes “an irreparable abyss.” Is that a danger you feel where you are?

Yes, because, as you know, in this part of the world, grievances are deep-rooted and centuries old. So, when such great violence is accumulated, when the dignity and self-respect of peoples are struck, and when attacks are carried out violently, the response is equally violent.

Of course, we enter into an abyss and a spiral, and we do not know where it may lead us. There is a risk that we will be drawn into a spiral of vengeance and reciprocal violence that can sweep us away.

We must pray that peace may be restored and that we are not swept up in this spiral. If each side enters the battle because it feels attacked, there is a risk that the entire region will explode.