Pope’s visit generating hope for a new era of tolerance in the Gulf

Bishop Paul Hinder, of the Apostolic Vicariate for Southern Arabia, based at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi. Pope Francis will visit the cathedral this week as part of a three-day tour of the UAE. (Supplied photo)
Updated 05 February 2019
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Pope’s visit generating hope for a new era of tolerance in the Gulf

  • Pope's trip coincides with the UAE’s celebration of the Year of Tolerance
  • Christians have enjoyed the freedom to worship in the UAE since the country was formed

DUBAI: Pope Francis’s unprecedented three-day visit to the UAE will not only mark the first official papal trip to the GCC, but also carry hopes with it of a new era of religious tolerance in the Gulf.

Bishop Paul Hinder, of the Apostolic Vicariate for Southern Arabia, based at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, said that there was no person better placed to deliver the message of peace and mutual understanding than the 82-year-old pontiff.

“This visit is centered on the ‘human fraternity for inter-religious dialogue,’ and I would say Pope Francis is truly the right person to stress this point — to show how it works, to show how to bypass borders and approach each other without fear,” Hinder told Arab News. “That is something important and, for this, I would say the pope is extraordinary.

“He is not afraid to meet people of completely different cultures and faiths.”

Hinder said that he hoped the pope’s visit would give fresh impetus to the “policy of tolerance,” which he felt some needed to adhere to more than others.

The pope was invited to the UAE by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, during his visit to the Vatican City in 2016. The pope’s visit coincides with the UAE’s celebration of the Year of Tolerance, declared by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in December last year. 

“Tolerance can be something passive, but I think the goal has to be more, it has to be a mutual understanding and an approach which accepts the different faiths and mentalities of other human beings,” said Hinder. The pope had a “unique” way of reading a person’s suffering and helping them regardless of race, religion, culture or faith, he added. 

“He is someone who has a pastoral approach; he doesn’t look at, as I would say, ‘the book,’ he looks at the person. That gives him an inner freedom which many others do not have, to have an approach which looks first at the human being … Pope Francis approaches people as Jesus did.”

The pontiff will make a private visit to St. Joseph’s Cathedral on Tuesday, the last day of his tour, where he will meet with 300 members of the congregation, many families with children with special needs, as well as the sick and elderly. 

Hinder will be part of the official delegation appointed to the pope during his stay in the UAE. 




St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi was established in 1962. (Supplied photo)

More than 1 million Christians live and work in the UAE, most of them Catholics. While formal relations between the UAE and the Vatican were established in 2007, Catholics have enjoyed the freedom to worship there since before the country was formed, with St. Joseph’s Cathedral being established in 1962.

“The relationship has been good (with the UAE) since the beginning, since we were first here — and that has developed,” said Hinder. “I always enjoy the relationship and, as the bishop, I have great respect for the authorities and their concerns for the church and for me as head of the Catholic church in the region. 

“I have great admiration for the policy of this country regarding tolerance. I can see the UAE’s interest in showing itself to the world as a country open to other people and, in a certain sense, as a model of society that teaches people of different cultures and different faiths how they can live together in peace and harmony.”

Ahead of the pope arriving in Abu Dhabi, choristers have been busy rehearsing hymns, organizers have been making last-minute preparations, and the excitement of the Christian population has reached fever pitch.

Theresa Dorado, 40, from the Philippines, is one of an estimated 135,000 people who will attend a papal Mass at Zayed Sports City on Tuesday.

Speaking outside St. Joseph’s Cathedral, where thousands of Catholics attend Mass every week, she said: “I got a message by mail saying I had got a ticket. I was over the moon. I am excited because it will be the first time that I have seen the pope. It will be a memorable occasion for Abu Dhabi.”

Filipino Chaberyl Celoso, a nurse with the Abu Dhabi Health Services Co. (SEHA), has been selected to assist with medical support at the stadium during the event.

“I am so excited to be involved. This is the first time the GCC has had someone from the Vatican City here, and it couldn’t be a more high-ranking individual. The whole community is very excited. I don’t mind if I get a glimpse of the pope or not. I just want to hear his voice and what he has to say to the people.”

Ese Aazagbaesuweli, from Nigeria, is also looking forward to the visit. “It will be an experience of a lifetime. I didn’t manage to get a ticket, but I will be glued to my TV. 

“We are in a Muslim country, and I am so impressed he is coming here, especially now, in the Year of Tolerance. 

“We are all the same; Muslims, Catholics, Christians, Buddhists, we believe in the same thing — peace. And I believe no region teaches violence, all religions teach peace, and I hope this visit will remind people of that.”

Myra Esguerra, 50, from the Philippines, was still waiting to hear if she had managed to get a ticket for the Mass. “Even if I don’t get one, I will somehow hopefully get to see him (the pope) pass by,” she said.

Vanessa Unigo, who moved from the Philippines four months ago to work as a nanny in Abu Dhabi, hopes it will be the second time she sees a sitting pope. Almost 24 years ago, Unigo met Pope John Paul II during World Youth Day in Manila.

Maria Joshy, 13, from Kerala, in India, will be attending the public Mass with her family. She said: “I have been to (the Vatican) in Rome but never seen a pope.”

Friends Baltazar Dano and Sedfreygian Fernandez, also from the Philippines, are hoping to catch a glimpse of the pontiff. “We are very happy because it is the first time he has visited here,” said Dano. “Around the UAE, all Catholics are excited.”

Pope memorabilia, including T-shirts and baseball caps, has been selling fast at stalls outside St. Joseph’s Cathedral.

The congregation, led by Father Gandolf Wild, were told to pray for the “safe and successful” visit of the pope. “The pope’s visit will launch this Year of Tolerance, and there will be many other initiatives to spread the spirit of tolerance … and the inclusion of all regardless of health and ability,” said Wild.

“We encourage all to work together in peace and harmony and we know that Pope Francis has the ability to reach out to people and touch their hearts.”


Several areas south of Sudan capital at risk of famine, says World Food Programme

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Several areas south of Sudan capital at risk of famine, says World Food Programme

  • Several areas south of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, are at risk of famine, the World Food Programme

GENEVA, June 10 : Several areas south of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, are at risk of famine, the World Food Programme said on Tuesday, with need on the ground outstripping resources amidst a funding shortfall.
“The level of hunger and destitution and desperation that was found (is) severe and confirmed the risk of famine in those areas,” Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director in Sudan, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Port Sudan. 


Abbas tells Macron he supports demilitarization of Hamas

Updated 24 min 33 sec ago
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Abbas tells Macron he supports demilitarization of Hamas

PARIS: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has said that Hamas “must hand over its weapons” and called for the deployment of international forces to protect “the Palestinian people,” France announced on Tuesday.
In a letter addressed on Monday to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who this month will co-chair a conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, Abbas outlined the main steps that he thinks must be taken to end the war in Gaza and achieve peace in the Middle East.
“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces,” wrote Abbas.
He said he was “ready to invite Arab and international forces to be deployed as part of a stabilization/protection mission with a (UN) Security Council mandate.”
The conference at UN headquarters later this month will aim to resurrect the idea of a two-state solution — Israel currently controls large parts of the Palestinian territories.
“We are ready to conclude within a clear and binding timeline, and with international support, supervision and guarantees, a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding and final status issues,” Abbas wrote.
“Hamas has to immediately release all hostages and captives,” Abbas added.
In a statement, the Elysee Palace welcomed “concrete and unprecedented commitments, demonstrating a real willingness to move toward the implementation of the two-state solution.”
Macron has said he is “determined” to recognize a Palestinian state, but also set out several conditions, including the “demilitarization” of Hamas.
In his letter, Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to reform the Palestinian Authority and confirmed his intention to hold presidential and general elections “within a year” under international auspices.
“The Palestinian State should be the sole provider of security on its territory, but has no intention to be a militarised State.”
France has long championed a two-state solution, including after the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants Hamas on Israel.
But formal recognition by Paris of a Palestinian state would mark a major policy shift and risk antagonizing Israel, which insists that such moves by foreign states are premature.


Lebanon says two dead in Israel strike

Updated 10 June 2025
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Lebanon says two dead in Israel strike

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike killed a Lebanese father and son Tuesday in a southern village, the Lebanese health ministry and state media said, the latest deaths despite a November ceasefire.
A second son was also wounded in the strike in Shebaa, the state-run National News Agency reported. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
“An Israeli enemy drone carried out a strike in the village of Shebaa, killing two people and wounding one,” a health ministry statement said.
Israel had warned on Friday that it would keep up its strikes on Hezbollah targets across Lebanon despite the condemnation expressed by the Lebanese government after a massive strike on south Beirut the previous night on the eve of the Eid Al-Adha holiday.
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said the strikes levelled nine residential blocks. The Israeli military said they targeted underground drone factories.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes as a “a flagrant violation” of the November 27 ceasefire agreement, which was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that culminated in two months of full-blown war.


Israel commits ‘extermination’ in Gaza by killing in schools, UN experts say

Updated 10 June 2025
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Israel commits ‘extermination’ in Gaza by killing in schools, UN experts say

  • In its latest report, the commission said Israel had destroyed more than 90 percent of the school and university buildings and more than half of all religious and cultural sites in Gaza

VIENNA: UN experts said in a report on Tuesday that Israel committed the crime against humanity of “extermination” by killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza, part of a “concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life.”

The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel was due to present the report to Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council on June 17.

“We are seeing more and more indications that Israel is carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza,” former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who chairs the commission, said in a statement.

“Israel’s targeting of the educational, cultural and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination,” she added.

The commission examined attacks on educational facilities and religious and cultural sites to assess if international law was breached.

Israel disengaged from the Human Rights Council in February, alleging it was biased.

When the commission’s last report in March found Israel carried out “genocidal acts” against Palestinians by systematically destroying women’s health care facilities during the conflict in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the findings were biased and antisemitic.

In its latest report, the commission said Israel had destroyed more than 90 percent of the school and university buildings and more than half of all religious and cultural sites in Gaza.

“Israeli forces committed war crimes, including directing attacks against civilians and wilful killing, in their attacks on educational facilities ... In killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination,” it said.

The war was triggered when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in a surprise attack in October 2023, and took 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Harm done to the Palestinian education system was not confined to Gaza, the report found, citing increased Israeli military operations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as harassment of students and settler attacks there.

“Israeli authorities have also targeted Israeli and Palestinian educational personnel and students inside Israel who expressed concern or solidarity with the civilian population in Gaza, resulting in their harassment, dismissal or suspension and in some cases humiliating arrests and detention,” it said.

“Israeli authorities have particularly targeted female educators and students, intending to deter women and girls from activism in public places,” the commission added.


Israel says activist Greta Thunberg leaving on flight to France

Updated 10 June 2025
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Israel says activist Greta Thunberg leaving on flight to France

  • Israel says Greta Thunberg is being deported after Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized

PARIS: Israel on Tuesday said Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was leaving the country on a flight to France, after she was detained along with other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat and taken to a Tel Aviv airport for deportation.
“Greta Thunberg is departing Israel on a flight to France,” Israel’s foreign ministry said on its official X account, along with two photos of the activist on board a plane.

Five French activists aboard the boat for Gaza were set to face an Israeli judge, the French foreign minister said on Tuesday.
“Our consul was able to see the six French nationals arrested by the Israeli authorities last night,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. “One of them has agreed to leave voluntarily and should return today. The other five will be subject to forced deportation proceedings.”