Pope visits United Arab Emirates to strengthen interreligious dialogue | Chronic

Pope Francisco He landed this Sunday in the United Arab Emirates, in what constitutes the first trip of a pontiff in the Arabian Peninsula, and was received by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and by the great imam of the Islamic University of Cairo, Al Azhar, Ahmed Al Tayeb.

The pope, whose plane landed at Abu Dhabi airport shortly before 22:00 local time (18 GMT), will hold a mbad in a stadium next Tuesday, in front of more than 135,000 faithful. Catholics, for the most part workers. immigrants from Asia, arrived from the Philippines or India.

About one million Catholics live in the United Arab Emirates (about 10% of the population), which has the largest number of Catholic churches in the region, eight.

In this country which observes a more moderate Islam compared to that of the neighbors, the presence of churches frequented by foreigners is tolerated provided to be discreet and avoid proselytizing, according to the law. Ansa agency. There can be no public holiday and the Tuesday mbad is exceptional.

The government said the day was jobless for those who have a ticket to attend Mbad and stressed that it was a particularly strong gesture towards the Christian community.

Francisco's historic visit will be dominated by dialogue between religions. The Sovereign Pontiff will hold an interfaith international meeting scheduled for Monday.

In this way, for the Vatican, "the meeting is the message" of this 27th trip of the pope abroad, in which he will not have a traditional diplomatic meeting with the political and civil authorities of the country.

The pope will, however, meet for the fifth time the great Sunni Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al Tayeb, whom he returned to Egypt in 2017.

The big magnet chairs "Muslim Council of the Elderly", a foundation created in Abu Dhabi to promote peace in Muslim communities and is the instigator of international interfaith recognition on Monday.

About 700 personalities will participate, including the patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches and rabbis from different Western countries.

Before embarking on the trip to the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis asked on Sunday "urgently promote compliance with the agreements reached" for a truce in the port city of Hodeida, Yemen, crucial for access to humanitarian aid.

"I am very concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen"He told Angelus of St. Peter's Square just before going to Fiumicino Airport to embark for Abu Dhabi.

"The population is exhausted by the long conflict and many children are hungry, but it is impossible to access the food depots"he remarked.

The war in Yemen pits pro-government forces, backed on the ground since 2015 by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with Shiite Houthi rebels, backed by Iran and controlling large areas of the country, including the Sanaa capital.

Before leaving Rome, Francisco wrote on the social network Twitter: "I'm leaving for the United Arab Emirates, I'm going to this country as a brother to write a page of dialogue and walk together on the paths of peace, pray for me!"

During the flight, welcoming reporters into the plane, he said: "This morning (for today sunday), I learned that it was raining in Abu Dhabi: this place is considered a sign of blessing..

Next Tuesday, the last day of the Pope's trip, he will visit the airport where the official farewell will take place.