Historical visit of the Pope to the UAE: Francisco received with luxury and signs of power

ABU DABI (AP).

Francisco

continues to do the story. After having participated in unique meetings such as the visit to the Vatican of Israeli and Palestinian leaders and the mediation of conflicts of years like that of the United States and Cuba, today the
The pope began his visit to

Emirates

United Arabs and became the first leader of the Catholic Church to tread the Arabian Peninsula.

With an ostentatious welcome ceremony expected in countries like Abu Dhabi, the
The pontiff arrived at the presidential palace aboard a simple three – door Kia car and was greeted with an artillery salute and an air sample from a country at war, before to address other religious leaders during a demonstration of tolerance in a Muslim region known for its restrictions on freedom of worship.

Horse guards escorted the papal caravan into the palace gardens, while the planes left a yellow and white trail in the sky, in the colors of the flag of the

Vatican

Meanwhile, Francisco was serious with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Emirati vice president and prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

His speech to a meeting of religious leaders will be the central act of his brief 40-hour visit to Abu Dhabi. The trip will end tomorrow with the first papal mbad of history in the peninsula, a meeting that is expected to bring together some 135,000 people in a public manifestation of Christian faith never seen in the cradle of Islam.

Francisco arrived in the Emirati capital last night, hours after he launched a Vatican call to urgently respond to the limited ceasefire in Yemen and ask for food and medicine to reach his people, who know the most great crisis. of the world.

The UAE is Saudi Arabia's main ally in its war campaign in Yemen, and during his statements at the Vatican, Francisco avoided embarrbading his guests with public denunciation of the humanitarian cost of war in the region.

"The cries of these children and their parents are rising" before God, "he said in his Sunday blessing, before heading to Rome airport to begin the journey.

Indicating that regional politics plays an important role in Francisco's visit, the papal plane flew to northern Qatar and surrounded the oil nation. Four Arab countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) have boycotted Qatar since June 2017 as part of a regional political conflict. By avoiding Qatari airspace, the pope also avoided sending a telegram greeting the country's leader, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was flying over other country.