Pope to visit UAE in February

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, who has made boosting ties between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy, will visit Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in February, the Vatican said on Thursday. The pontiff was invited to the UAE by both Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the local Catholic church.

Francis will take part in an international “interfaith” meeting during the trip, which will run from February 3 to 5.

The 81-year-old has already visited several Muslim countries, including Turkey in 2014, Azerbaijan in 2016 and Egypt in 2017.

The Vatican said the theme for the Abu Dhabi trip was summed up in the phrase “make me a channel of your peace” — a quote from Saint Francis of Assisi, the pope’s namesake.

The hope was the visit would “spread in a special way the peace of God within the hearts of all people of good will,” it said.

“This visit, like the one to Egypt, shows the fundamental importance the Holy Father gives to inter-religious dialogue,” spokesman Greg Burke said.

“Pope Francis visiting the Arab world is a perfect example of the culture of encounter,” he added.

Many of the Catholics are workers from Africa, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines, though some are locals.

The UAE trip will come head of a visit in March to Morocco. — AFP