Pope Francis visits UAE: 3 February 2019

[Imanmajed]

Next week Pope Francis is going to visit UAE at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

The visit will be the first of its kind to the Arabian peninsula by the head of the Catholic Church. It is of huge international significance, not just to Catholics in the UAE but for the whole region. The mass due to be celebrated on February 5 at Zayed Sports City will be attended by 135,000 people, the largest-ever gathering of Christians in Arabia.

It is important to remember that Christianity is not new to the country. Its presence here, albeit intermittent, can be traced back more than 1,400 years, as shown by the 1993 discovery of a Christian monastery on the island of Sir Bani Yas in the west of the country.

The ruins of the pre-Islamic monastery appears to have been established in around 600AD by monks from a Christian denomination known as the Church of the East. With its heartland in modern-day Iraq, that church once had adherents not just in Arabia but throughout Central Asia, as far as China.

 

[Mademoiselle Lilo]

Holiday announced for private sector workers going to Pope Francis' mass in Abu Dhabi
https://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/new...rkers-going-to-pope-francis-mass-in-abu-dhabi

 

[An Ard Ri]

Pope Francis talks about his upcoming Abu Dhabi visit

 

[eya]

Pope Francis speaks to reporters aboard a plane on the way to Abu Dhabi today 3 February

https://www.belgaimage.be/#/gallery/6440917


And arrives in Abu Dhabi where welcomed him the Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed

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Article

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-papal-trip-Arabian-Peninsula-Islam-born.html

 

[iceflower]

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Here are some more photos and a video from today:


** rex gallery 1 ** rex gallery 2 ** belga gallery **

 

[iceflower]

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Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi today, February 4:


** gettyimages gallery **

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Welcoming Ceremony for H.H.Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi

 

[Rossina]

Pope Francis lead mass for an estimated 170,000 Catholics at an Abu Dhabi sports stadium on 5 February .

https://www.belgaimage.be/#/gallery/6442398

 

[An Ard Ri]

Thousands gather for Papal Mass,I hope its not too warm in Abu Dhabi!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47106204

https://www.thenational.ae/uae/the-...cis-s-mass-in-abu-dhabi-live-updates-1.821931

 

[Imanmajed]

A new church and mosque are to built in Abu Dhabi in honour of the landmark visit to the UAE of Pope Francis. The places of worship are to be constructed in celebration of inter-faith relations.

Earlier, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed witnessed Pope Francis and Grand Imam, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb sign the Human Fraternity Document that calls on people across the globe to unite to bring about inter-faith harmony and spread a vital message of peace.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said that the Papal visit was a "landmark in the development of human relations and dialogue between different cultures," as both religious leaders depart.

 

[An Ard Ri]

H.H.The Pope paid a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

The Pope departs the United Arab Emirates

 

[iceflower]

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Back in Rome Pope Francis spoke about his visit to the United Arab Emirates during a General Audience today, February 6:

 

[An Ard Ri]

I had no idea that Christians were so populous in the UAE prior to the visit 13-15% of the Population.

 

[Imanmajed]

Pope Francis has reflected on his visit to the UAE, saying he hopes the trip will lead to peace.

The day after the pontiff left Abu Dhabi, he took to Twitter so say the visit "belongs to the "surprises" of God" — an expression of how rare the trip was.

Pope Francis was the first leader of the Catholic Church to visit the Arabian Gulf. The Pope’s visit to the UAE will be remembered fondly by the tens of thousands of Catholics who attended his public Mass. It will also go down as a significant moment in the history of the UAE.

 

[Imanmajed]

I had no idea that Christians were so populous in the UAE prior to the visit 13-15% of the Population.

UAE is a Middle East country where many religions found a home. Christians celebrate Christmas and Easter openly. Also UAE rulers donated land for building churches. Other religions represented in the country including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Sikhism. They all also can practice their religion freely.

In addition to Islam, there are 10 other religions in the UAE.

Armenians: Christian Armenians arrived from the 1950s to work primarily on the oil exploration camps. The first formal mass was said in 1977 and today a community numbering in the thousands has its own church, school and hall.

The Baha’i: the first Baha’is, a faith that originally grew in Iran, moved here from neighbouring Gulf countries in the 1940s. They operate through a system of local assemblies.

Buddhists: There are close to 500,000 Buddhists in the UAE while a Buddhist temple opened in 2009.

Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church: Many Copts came to the UAE from Egypt in the 1970s. It is thought that as many as 30,000 Egyptian Christian Copts live in the UAE.

Evangelicals: They can trace their presence back to the 19th century with nurses and doctors coming here to help medical needs of people here. There are several places of worship across the country.

Hindus: There are several Hindu temples in Dubai with hundreds of thousands practising the Hindu faith in the UAE.

Jews: A small community of Jews live in the UAE, mostly in Dubai. There is a synagogue in Dubai too.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: The church was formally recognised by Dubai in 1993 – the first such recognition in the Arabian Gulf region.

Roman Catholicism: The first church opened in Abu Dhabi in 1965. Now there about one million Catholics living here.

Sikhs: The first Sikh temple (GuruNanak Darbar temple) opened in 2012 in Dubai and there are about 100,000 living in the UAE.

If you have interest to know more about Christians and other religions in UAE I recommend you the books of Mr Thompson: Jesus of Arabia, From Shikh to Hindu and Christianity in the UAE, a book that shows the links between Islam and Christianity. His new book (From Shikh to Hindu) confronts stereotypes that the Arabian Gulf is home to just one religion.

 

[Imanmajed]

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has delivered a letter to Pope Francis thanking him for his landmark visit to the UAE.

https://www.thenational.ae/uae/the-...nds-letter-of-thanks-to-pope-francis-1.830309