Pope Francis heads to the UAE Sunday for the first-ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, birthplace of Islam, where he will hold an open-air mass for tens of thousands of Catholics. Hours before he flies back to Rome on Tuesday, he will lead an open-air mass — set to be the largest gathering ever in the UAE, according to local media. For Indian Doris D’Souza, who lives in Goa, Pope Francis’s trip to the UAE was not to be missed. – ‘Terrorism vs. love’ –UAE minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash extended an official welcome to Pope Francis on Sunday. “Despite its assertions about tolerance, the UAE government has demonstrated no real interest in improving its human rights record,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said Sunday.

Source: Punch February 03, 2019 13:18 UTC