UAE Christians ‘enthusiastic’ about Pope Francis’ visit

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, said in an interview with Vatican News that Christians in the UAE have “greeted the decision” of the Pope’s visit “with enthusiasm”. It is a “great joy” for him too, although it will also be a “logistical challenge”.

Reason for Papal trip

Bishop Hinder said the main reason for the Pope’s upcoming Apostolic Journey to the UAE is “the inter-faith event to which he has been invited by our Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. It is an event in which many, many Muslim representatives from different countries will participate”, he continued.

Christians are enthusiastic

Many Christians in the UAE expect to participate in the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on Tuesday, 5 February. The Bishop said he does not know if there is a site large enough in the UAE to accommodate everyone who wants to go to the Pope’s Mass. “Many are also coming from other countries belonging to the Vicariate and the Arab Peninsula”, he said. “There is a big interest in it in India, but we will have to respect the limits which are given by the circumstances”.

A joy and a challenge

Joy is the word Bishop Hinder repeated to describe how both he and the faithful feel regarding the Pope’s visit. But he also acknowledged that it presents a logistical challenge that “we have to master”. He hopes that these challenges will be overcome with the collaboration of the Catholic community in the UAE and the government.