Pope Francis concludes historic Bahrain visit and departs for Rome

Leader of the Roman Catholic Church celebrated Mass with tens of thousands of worshippers at Bahrain National Stadium

Pope Francis on the flight back to Rome on Sunday, after his four-day journey to Bahrain. AFP

Pope Francis and Bahrain's King Hamad attend a farewell ceremony, on the last day of the Pope's visit to Bahrain. Reuters

Pope Francis, centre-left, meeting King Hamad, centre-right, with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar mosque Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, right, during the farewell ceremony at the Sakhir airbase in Awali. AFP

Pope Francis speaks at the Sacred Heart Church in the Bahraini capital, Manama. AFP

Pope Francis at the Sacred Heart Church in Manama on the final day of his Bahrain visit. AFP

Pope Francis blesses a nun during a prayer meeting at the Manama church. AP

Pope Francis waves to the congregation. AFP

The scene at the Sacred Heart Church. Reuters

Pope Francis arrives for a meeting and an Angelus prayer with bishops, priests, seminarians and pastoral workers at Manama's Sacred Heart Church. Reuters

People wait for the arrival of Pope Francis. AFP

People wave Vatican City flags before the pope's arrival at the Sacred Heart Church. Reuters

Pope Francis arrives for a meeting and a prayer service at the at Sacred Heart Church in Manama. Reuters

Pope Francis is on the last day of his visit to Bahrain. Reuters

Pope Francis attended a prayer service at Sacred Heart Church, Manama on Sunday morning, before concluding his milestone visit to Bahrain.

The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics prayed with bishops, priests and pastoral workers around 9.30am local time.

At lunchtime, he bid farewell to the island nation, which has been in the global spotlight during the pontiff's four-day visit.

Earlier on Saturday, he celebrated Mass with tens of thousands of worshippers at the Bahrain National Stadium, south of Manama. This is only the second time that a pope has visited the Arabian Gulf, following Pope Francis's visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019.

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