Pope to hold mass on February 5
Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City event is expected to draw tens of thousands
Pope Francis will hold a mass on February 5 in Abu Dhabi, organisers said while announcing his itinerary yesterday.
The official schedule released by the Vatican includes a private meeting with the Muslim Council of Elders at the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The Papal Mass, that will be held at Zayed Sports City, is expected to draw tens of thousands. Nearly a million Catholics live and work in the UAE.
Upon arrival on February 3, Pope Francis will be greeted by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE’s Armed Forces, along with key UAE dignitaries at the Abu Dhabi Presidential airport.
On February 4, Pope Francis will visit the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque to hold a private meeting with the Muslim Council of Elders.
Pope Francis will celebrate a papal mass on February 5 at Zayed Sports City — a landmark mass that is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of Catholics in the UAE during his first visit to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The Vatican has released the official itinerary of Pope Francis’ visit, which includes a public homily of the Holy Father at 10.30am and a private meeting with the Muslim Council of Elders at Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The official schedule, released yesterday, was longawaited since the announcement of the pontiff’s three-day visit to the UAE a week ago.
Upon arrival on February 3, Pope Francis will be greeted by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE’s Armed Forces, along with key UAE dignitaries, at the Abu Dhabi Presidential airport. On February 4, Pope Francis will visit Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque and hold a private meeting with the Muslim Council of Elders.
Commenting on the itinerary of the pope’s UAE visit, Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia (UAE, Oman and Yemen) said: “Pope Francis is convinced that every human being who stands honestly before God, no matter to whichever religion he or she belongs, and allows himself or herself to be led by God, will work to create an atmosphere where human beings can live together and mutually accept each other.
“The late Shaikh Zayed is known to have instilled the virtue of human coexistence in the people of the UAE and it is a happy coincidence that this historic meeting takes place at the Grand Mosque named after Shaikh Zayed, whose policies have shaped the UAE into a country where the values of tolerance and coexistence are upheld so that all can live together in peace and harmony.”
Nearly a million Catholics live in the UAE and have the freedom to practise their faith alongside other religions.
“The Pope is a realist and knows that in a world of migration, human beings have to learn to live together, whether Christians among Muslims or Muslims among Christians and even both Muslims and Christians among non-believers among other big religions — we have to learn to coexist,” Bishop Hinder added.