In just a few hours, Pope Francis travels to the United Arab Emirates.
WHY THE UAE NOW?
It is the first time that a pope will visit the Arabian Peninsula, and Francis is going for a specific reason.
MSGR. KHALED B. AKASHEH
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
'The message that will be voiced in Abu Dhabi is that of universal brotherhood. All of us members of the human family are brothers who have a single origin, a common path and a common goal that is God.'
From Feb. 3 to 5, Pope Francis will emulate another trip taken 800 years ago by St. Francis of Assisi construct bridges with the Muslim world.
ADNANE MOKRANI
Professor, Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
'The pope's election with the name 'Francis' is very significant because St. Francis means to return to the spirit of the Gospel. It represents poverty, service, humility and Church reform. At the same time, it means openness to others, dialogue, meeting. It means going against the tide in times of war, giving a message of peace, reconciliation and understanding.'
WHY TRAVEL TO THE UAE?
From here, Pope Francis will be not far from Mecca and Medina, the cradle of the Muslim religion. In Abu Dhabi, he will meet with the Muslim Council of Elders, an organization created in 2014 to promote peace among Muslim communities.
In the Founders Memorial, the monument dedicated to the founder of the Emirates, Pope Francis will participate in an interfaith meeting on human fraternity that will also be attended by religious leaders from all over the world, including the imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayyib.
ADNANE MOKRANI
Professor, Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
'The UAE are now trying to take a leadership role by drawing near to Al Azhar, the Sunni institution in Egypt. They are looking for a cultural and religious alliance in which the Arab Emirates are the vanguard of an open and communicated Islamic thought.'
It is very possible that this historic journey began to take shape following this visit of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed with the pope in 2016.
The UAE wants to be a leader of a movement of openness and modernity of the Islamic world, as opposed to the Islam being used as a pretext for violence.
THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY IN EMIRATES
The most important moment for the Catholic community will be the Mass that will be celebrated in the Zayed Sports City. It is estimated that of the nine and a half million inhabitants in the Emirates, close to one million are Catholics. They are mostly workers from Asia, especially from the Philippines and India.
Although Christian worship is permitted and there are churches all over the UAE, the pope will visit the cathedral. It will be the first time such an enormous Mass is celebrated in the Zayed Sports City, as the enclosure has capacity for some 45,000 people.
ADNANE MOKRANI
Professor, Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
'The country's press has published articles explaining the meaning of the Catholic Mass to non-Catholics. It will be an event that everyone needs to understand. For the public to see the Mass and what it means for a non-Catholic and non-Christian to see a Christian pray.'
MESSAGE OF PEACE
Pope Francis is traveling to a convulsed region with several countries immersed in armed conflicts. In particular, the UAE is involved as an ally of Saudi Arabia in an especially bloody war, that in Yemen.
ADNANE MOKRANI
Professor, Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
'It is a sensitive issue on a diplomatic level. Yet, I think there may be a desire for general peace for Yemen or a message of peace. There is a Yemeni community there.'
After visiting Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Albania and Azerbaijan, Pope Francis returns to a country with a Muslim majority. In addition to the Emirates, in March he will also travel to Morocco following in the steps of John Paul II, in order to continue strengthening ties of fraternity in a world increasingly in need of peace and dialogue
