Vatikan’s Pope Francis to Visit UAE in February

Abu Dhabi, MINA – The Vatican’s Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) early next month (February), Anadolu reported.

According to The National newspaper, Pope Francis is scheduled to hold a historic Catholic Mass on Feb. 5 at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium.

Around 120,000 people are expected to participate in the event.

Free tickets will reportedly be distributed in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen, with a smaller number of tickets to be made available in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, The National quoted Paul Hinder, Catholic bishop for southern Arabia, as saying.

The pope’s visit reportedly comes at the invitation of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and the Catholic Church in the UAE.

Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language of the UAE. The earliest Christian site in the UAE was first discovered in the 1990s, an extensive monastic complex on what is now known as Sir Bani Yas Island and which dates back to the 7th century.

Thought to be Nestorian and built in 600 AD, the church appears to have been abandoned peacefully in 750 AD. It forms a rare physical link to a legacy of Christianity which is thought to have spread across the peninsula from 50 to 350 AD following trade routes. (T/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)