Journalism of Courage
Pope Francis ministered Tuesday to the thriving Catholic community in the United Arab Emirates as he concluded his historic visit to the Arabian Peninsula with the first-ever papal Mass and a call for his flock to remain meek in following God. (AP)
A day after making a broad appeal for Christian and Muslim leaders to work together to promote peace and reject war, Francis celebrated what some considered the largest show of public Christian worship on the peninsula, the birthplace of Islam. (Reuters)
A day after making a broad appeal for Christian and Muslim leaders to work together to promote peace and reject war, Francis celebrated what some considered the largest show of public Christian worship on the peninsula, the birthplace of Islam. (Reuters)
Women hold a sign as they wait for the arrival of Pope Francis to hold a mass at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (REUTERS)
Vatican flags are waved by people as they wait for the arrival of Pope Francis at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Pope Francis arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. His visit represents the first papal trip ever to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam. (AP)
Pope Francis is scheduled to attend a meeting with the Muslim Council of Elders at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. In this picture, he is welcomed by Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb at the sheikh Zayed grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. (Reuters)
Before returning to Rome, the pope will celebrate an outdoor mass on Tuesday for some 1,35,000 Catholics in an Abu Dhabi sports stadium. He has said the trip would write "a new page in the history of relations between religions". (Reuters)
Pope Francis became the first pontiff to set foot on the Arabian Peninsula as he met United Arab Emirates leaders in Abu Dhabi on Monday in a historic trip he hopes will foster peace through religious dialogue. (Reuters)
The Catholic leader received a grandiose, pomp-filled welcome as he arrived at the Abu Dhabi presidential palace. (AP)
The Catholic leader was greeted by Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Emirati vice president and prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, during the presentation of delegations in the courtyard of the royal palace. (Reuters)
Writing in the palace guest book, he asked that God grant the UAE "divine blessings of peace and fraternal solidarity". (Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS)
The visit offers a rare note of hope for Christians residing in the Middle East, who in recent decades have come under intense pressure in the region where their faith has its roots. Many have been persecuted, killed or forced to flee, NYT reported. (AP)
