Vatican City, Jan 31, 2019 / 14:46 pm
Pope Francis expressed gratitude for his upcoming trip to the United Arab Emirates, noting it is an opportunity to promote greater peace between Muslims and Catholics.
"I am happy for this opportunity offered to me by the Lord to write, on your dear land, a new page in the history of the relations between the religions, confirming that we are brothers even though we are different," the pope said in a Jan. 31 video message to the people of the UAE.
"With joy I prepare to meet and to greet 'eyal Zayid fi dar Zayid/ the sons of Zayid in the home of Zayid,' a land of prosperity and peace, a land of sun and harmony, a land of coexistence and encounter!"
Francis will visit Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, Feb. 3-5. There, Pope Francis will hold an interreligious meeting and a private meeting with the Muslim Council of Elders. He will make a private visit to the cathedral, and say Mass at a stadium.