Pope Francis arrived in the United Arab Emirates for a historic visit

Pope Francis arrived Sunday evening in the United Arab Emirates, in what is the first visit of a leader of the Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula, cradle of Islam.

The Sovereign Pontiff, whose plane landed at Abu Dhabi airport shortly before 22 local time (18 GMT), will hold a mbad in a stadium on Tuesday, It is estimated that more than 130,000 worshipers are present.

According to the Vatican program, this historic visit will be dominated for dialogue between religions. An international interfaith meeting is scheduled for Monday.

Francisco will meet for the fifth time the great Sunni Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al Tayeb, who visited Egypt in 2017.

The Great Imam presides over the "Muslim Council of Elders", a foundation established in Abu Dhabi to promote peace in Muslim communities and is the instigator of Monday's international interfaith recognition.

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

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

Tuesday, will hold a mbad at a stadium in the capital for Catholicsmainly migrant workers from Asia arrived from the Philippines or India.

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

In this country which observes a more moderate Islam than among the neighbors, the presence of churches frequented by foreigners is tolerated on the condition that these are discreet and avoid proselytism. There can be no public holiday and the Tuesday mbad is exceptional.

Before embarking for the trip to the Emirates, Francisco asked this Sunday "urgently promote compliance with the agreements reached" for a truce in the port city of Hodeida, Yemen, crucial 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.

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