In a historic visit of sorts, Pope Francis ministered to the thriving Catholic community in the United Arab Emirates as he concluded his historic visit to the Arabian Peninsula with the first-ever papal Mass here and a call for his flock to remain meek in following God.
Reaching out to Muslims has been a cornerstone of Pope Francis' papacy. During his papacy, he has also paid particular attention to refugees. Pope Francis or Jorge Bergoglio, is the son of Italian immigrants who was raised in Argentina.
The pope waved at an enthusiastic crowd carrying Vatican flags and banners as he drove into Zayed Sports City Stadium, where an altar with a large cross was set up for the open-air service in a country that borders the birthplace of Islam.
"How beautiful it is for brothers to be joined under this sky," said an MC in Arabic shortly after the pope's arrival around 10:00 AM (0600 GMT). Pope Francis' trip has been warmly welcomed by Catholic migrants in the UAE, home to large Filipino and Indian communities. More than 85 percent of the UAE population are expatriates, and about 10 per cent of the population, which make for 1 million in number. There were chants of 'Viva il Papa' and "We love you!" from the crowd, estimated to be around 135,000.
All religious leaders had a "duty to reject every nuance of approval from the word war", he told an interfaith meeting on Monday.
"I am thinking in particular of Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya," he said. Yemen is the scene of what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, triggered by the intervention of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies in a war between the government and Huthi rebels.
For the Gulf Arab region where public displays of non-Islamic faith are restricted, the hymns of "Halleluja" booming out from speakers marked a milestone and evidence of the Emirates' much touted assertions of its tolerance for other faiths. The mass was delivered in Italian and translated into Arabic with English subtitles on giant screens. "It is most certainly not easy for you to live far from home, missing the affection of your loved ones, and perhaps also feeling uncertainty about the future," he said. "But the Lord is faithful and does not abandon his people," he added.
A prayer in the Indian language of Konkani called for public officials to be "illuminated" and promote the dignity of all, while the one in the Filipino language of Tagalog urged prayers for migrants and workers in in the UAE so that "their sacrifice and work may blossom and sustain their families."
The pope also called for "the full recognition" of the rights of people across the Middle East, a potential reference to communities including Shiites in Saudi Arabia, refugees and migrants, stateless peoples and other minorities.
"I look forward to societies where people of different beliefs have the same right of citizenship and where only in the case of violence in any of its forms is that right removed," he said.
During his visit, the Pope also held talks with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb —imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's prestigious seat of learning.
The two religious leaders signed a document on "human fraternity for world peace and living together", described by the Vatican as an "important step forward in the dialogue between Christians and Muslims". It called for "freedom of belief", the "promotion of a culture of tolerance", the "protection of places of worship" and "full citizenship" rights for minorities.
Francis' visit, 800 years after his peace-loving namesake St. Francis of Assisi visited an Egyptian sultan, marked the culmination of years of Holy See efforts to improve relations with the Muslim world after they hit a low during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI. Since then, religious fanaticism and faith-inspired wars have only grown around the globe, inspiring the pontiff's efforts to promote tolerance and understanding.
