Tens of thousands of Catholics and several thousand Muslims attended an unprecedented public celebration of Mass on Tuesday by Pope Francis, the first pontiff in history to visit the Arabian Peninsula. People wearing white baseball caps emblazoned with the visit logo packed the stadium stands and snapped pictures on their smartphones. Pope Francis blesses a child as he leads the papal mass at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi. Organisers said Catholics from about 100 nations were expected to attend the Mass, along with about 4,000 Muslims, including government officials. “I am not sure what will change: time will tell – hope, hope,” she said.

Source: The Irish Times February 05, 2019 10:18 UTC