From hegemony to the “regime of tolerance” in Muslim-Christian relations: the stakes of the Pope’s trip to Bahrain

Whilst not ignoring theological discussions on the subject of Muslim-Christian dialogue, the present analysis of Muslim-Christian or Muslim-Catholic relations will not be conducted from a historical-theological perspective. It will be limited to the political and geopolitical aspects of the work undertaken by the Holy See and Pope Francis since 2013. The argument put forward here is that since the beginning of the current pontificate, there has been a major change in the order of relations between Catholicism and Islam, which has had an impact on the international scene and should therefore be closely watched by states. This change corresponds to a process of accepted coexistence between religions, a “normalisation” and “pacification” of their relations organised around a set of shared principles, rules, and representations which concern them as well as what they believe to be their mission in the societies where they operate – a set which will henceforth be referred to as a “regime of tolerance”.