Next week’s visit to the UAE by Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, has attracted considerable interest from the international media, with many noting that the visit will not only strengthen inter-faith dialogue but will also draw attention to UAE's commitment to the principles of tolerance and mutual co-existence
ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 31st Jan, 2019) – Next week’s visit to the UAE by Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, has attracted considerable interest from the international media, with many noting that the visit will not only strengthen inter-faith dialogue but will also draw attention to UAE's commitment to the principles of tolerance and mutual co-existence.
In an article in the Washington Post, entitled "Diverse, international flock awaits Pope Francis’ UAE trip", the paper said, "Pope Francis’ visit from Feb. 3 through Feb. 5 marks the first papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam. The pontiff will visit Abu Dhabi, the headquarters of the Catholic Church’s Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, which covers the UAE, Oman and Yemen."
It added, "In 2010, there were an estimated 940,000 Christians living in the UAE, according to a 2015 Pew Research Centre report, including 750,000 Catholics. The report suggests the number of Christians in the UAE would rise to about 1.1 million by 2020, with Catholics making up the lion’s share. The Catholic Church itself believes there are some 1 million Catholics in the UAE today."
"Rulers in the UAE, which has described 2019 as the nation’s ‘Year of Tolerance,’ have supported the Catholic community in the past by donating land for their churches," the Washington Post report said, adding, that during a recent Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Dubai, the priest led worshippers in a prayer asking for God’s blessings upon "the rulers of the UAE." He specifically mentioned President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
Maclean's - a Canadian news magazine founded in 1905 - published an Op-Ed entitled "The Pope is visiting the United Arab Emirates. That’s a big deal. " It was written by Martin Newland, former editor of The Daily Telegraph in London, and also the first managing editor of the UAE daily The National.
"The Pope’s celebration of mass in front of 120,000 of the UAE’s nearly 1 million Catholics in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 5 will take place in the context of widespread middle Eastern religious turmoil and persecution," Newland wrote. "His visit is a challenge to those who contend that there is an unbridgeable gap between islam and Christianity and the culture and social systems these faiths have given rise to."
"The Pope’s visit is a huge and deserved diplomatic coup for the Emiratis and a comfort to a beleaguered Christian community that has been harassed by extremist militias across the region shot at, blown up or exiled from lands which hosted the early church," Newland added. ""During the important 'rite of peace' of Peace during mass in Abu Dhabi the Pope will recite the words 'May the peace of the Lord be upon you,' " Newland wrote, He added: "Nearly identical wording is used in the traditional Arabic greeting 'As-salamu ‘alaykum', peace be upon you."
Another article in AsiaNews, quoted Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia (United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen) as saying, "Pope Francis’s visit to the UAE, a country where most migrant workers are Catholic from different Asian countries, is an 'encouragement and a recognition of their existence and value.'"
Speaking to AsiaNews, Bishop Hinder said that: "His presence shows the unity among us, in spite of tensions and differences that characterise a multinational and multicultural Church, which is united under the same sky."
"The pope's presence is a source of encouragement also for those among us who work hard but are less well-off," Hinder said. "Francis cares about these people. he is also coming for them to encourage them."
Another article carried by Argentina's Catholic News Agency, AICA, with the title "Christians and Muslims await the Pope's visit with joy", said, "Christians in the United Arab Emirates are preparing with 'joy and hope' for the visit of Pope Francis, from February 3 to 5, an event that 'will contribute to the building of bridges'. For almost one million Christians who live in the country and represent 10% of the population, the presence of the Pontiff will be a 'cornerstone' in the dialogue between religions and for the development of the local community."
Many other news media have redistributed the video message released by the Vatican in which Pope Francis stressed that the UAE was a "country where so many people find a safe place to live and work with freedom that respects differences." He said he was "delighted to be meeting with a people who live out their present and look forward to the future."
Quoting the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founder of the UAE, the Pope said, "True wealth lies not just in material possibilities. The real wealth of a nation is the individuals who hear the sound of their future."
