Francisco in the cradle of Islam | The pope has come to …

Pope Francis arrived Sunday night in the United Arab Emirates, as part of the first visit of a leader of the Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula, cradle of Islam. Before starting his trip, Francisco asked Sunday "to urgently support the respect of the agreements reached" with a view to a truce in the port city of Hodeida, Yemen, essential for access to humanitarian aid.

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.

The plane of the head of the Catholic Church arrived at Abu Dhabi airport shortly before 10 am Before leaving Rome, Francisco wrote on Twitter: "I'm leaving for the United Arab Emirates, I'm going to this country as a brother to write together a page of dialogue and let's walk the paths of peace together Pray for me!"

On board the plane, the pope said that he had learned that it was raining in Abu Dhabi. "In these countries, this is seen as a sign of blessing," he said.

This morning, worshipers began to gather around St. Joseph Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, decorated in the colors of the Vatican and the Emirates. Tuesday's papal Mbad is touted as the biggest popular event in the country, with more than 130,000 people in a stadium.

There are about a million Catholics in a country with a fairly moderate Islam whose society is very open to the outside world. The majority are Asian workers who practice their religion in eight churches

Similarly, the organization Amnesty International (AI) asked the pope to put on the table in Abu Dhabi the question of respect for human rights and lamented that many dissidents remain in detention in the country . Human Rights Watch (HRW) also said that Francisco took advantage of his visit to discuss the human rights situation in Yemen, where the UAE is intervening militarily in Saudi Arabia.

Since the beginning of his pontificate, the pope has visited several Muslim-majority countries, such as Egypt, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, and Turkey. In March, he will travel to Morocco.