Pope Francis ministered to the thriving Catholic community in the United Arab Emirates as he concluded an historic visit with the first-ever papal Mass in the Arabian Peninsula. Pope Francis ministered to the thriving Catholic community in the United Arab Emirates as he concluded an historic visit with the first-ever papal Mass in the Arabian Peninsula. Cheers erupted inside and outside the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi as Francis arrived and looped through the crowd in his open-sided popemobile before Mass. Chants of “Viva il Papa” (Long live the pope) and “We love you!” accompanied him as he waved to the crowd. Prompted by an announcer extolling UAE’s “Year of Tolerance”, they cheered and waved Holy See flags awaiting Francis’ arrival.

Source: Irish Independent February 05, 2019 06:45 UTC