Pope Francis arrives in UAE on
27th Apostolic Journey abroad
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| Pope Francis is welcomed by Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (AFP) |
The papal plane touched down in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening,
and an official delegation welcomed Pope Francis at the Presidential Airport.
By Devin Watkins & Linda Bordoni
The Apostolic Nuncio to the United Arab Emirates, Archbishop
Francisco Montecillo Padilla, boarded the papal plane upon landing to welcome
the Pope as he arrived in the United Arab Emirates for his Apostolic Visit.
Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan greeted the
Pope as he stepped off the plane and onto Emirati soil.
As they entered the airport, children in traditional garb
presented the Holy Father with a bouquet of flowers and welcomed him to the UAE
in his native Spanish.
Pope Francis then greeted his old friend and ally in his
quest to strengthen dialogue between East and West, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar,
Ahmed el-Tayeb.
The Holy Father's arrival marks the very first time a Pope
has set foot on the Arabian Peninsula.
The theme of the historic visit is “Make me a channel of
your peace”, and it carries with it an urgent appeal to the region and to the
world to pursue values of peaceful coexistence and overcome prejudice and
allegiance to divisive ideologies, sects, and political parties.
Like the dove carrying an olive branch on the journey's
official logo, Pope Francis sets foot in the Gulf region as a herald of peace
with a message of hope for the future of mankind.
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