Pope Francis trip to Bahrain for first

Pope Francis said human rights should not be "violated" and hit out at use of the death penalty as he arrived in Bahrain for his second trip to the Persian Gulf.

The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, who is the first pope to visit the tiny nation, is visiting to promote dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

But rights groups had urged him to also use the visit to speak out about alleged abuses in the Sunni-led monarchy.

Pope Francis told dignitaries, including his host, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, that religious freedom should be "complete and not limited to freedom of worship".

Speaking less than three weeks from the World Cup in neighbouring Qatar, which has faced fierce scrutiny over its migrant workers, the pope also demanded that "working conditions everywhere are safe and dignified".

"Much labour is in fact dehumanising," he said at the gleaming Sakhir Royal Palace. "This does not only entail a grave risk of social instability, but constitutes a threat to human dignity."

The first papal visit to the island nation follows this pontiff's 2019 trip to the United Arab Emirates, also aimed at interfaith outreach.

"I think in the first place of the right to life, of the need to guarantee that right always, including for those being punished, whose lives should not be taken.", the pope said.

During his trip, the pope will hold an open-air mass and lead prayers for peace at a vast new cathedral.