{"id":31595,"date":"2019-02-03T03:23:11","date_gmt":"2019-02-03T03:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=31595"},"modified":"2019-02-03T03:23:11","modified_gmt":"2019-02-03T03:23:11","slug":"popes-visit-generating-hope-for-a-new-era-of-tolerance-in-the-gulf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=31595","title":{"rendered":"Pope\u2019s visit generating hope for a new era of tolerance in the Gulf"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\nDUBAI: Pope Francis\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\nBishop Paul Hinder, of the Apostolic Vicariate for Southern Arabia, based at St. Joseph\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThis visit is centered on the \u2018human fraternity for inter-religious dialogue,\u2019 and I would say Pope Francis is truly the right person to stress this point \u2014 to show how it works, to show how to bypass borders and approach each other without fear,\u201d Hinder told Arab News. \u201cThat is something important and, for this, I would say the pope is extraordinary.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHe is not afraid to meet people of completely different cultures and faiths.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\"\"Hinder said that he hoped the pope\u2019s visit would give fresh impetus to the \u201cpolicy of tolerance,\u201d which he felt some needed to adhere to more than others.<\/p>\n

\nThe 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\u2019s visit coincides with the UAE\u2019s celebration of the Year of Tolerance, declared by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in December last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cTolerance 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,\u201d said Hinder. The pope had a \u201cunique\u201d way of reading a person\u2019s suffering and helping them regardless of race, religion, culture or faith, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHe is someone who has a pastoral approach; he doesn\u2019t look at, as I would say, \u2018the book,\u2019 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 \u2026 Pope Francis approaches people as Jesus did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe pontiff will make a private visit to St. Joseph\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHinder will be part of the official delegation appointed to the pope during his stay in the UAE.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
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\nSt. Joseph\u2019s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi was established in 1962. (Supplied photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\nMore 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\u2019s Cathedral being established in 1962.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe relationship has been good (with the UAE) since the beginning, since we were first here \u2014 and that has developed,\u201d said Hinder. \u201cI 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI have great admiration for the policy of this country regarding tolerance. I can see the UAE\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nAhead 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.<\/p>\n

\nTheresa 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.<\/p>\n

\nSpeaking outside St. Joseph\u2019s Cathedral, where thousands of Catholics attend Mass every week, she said: \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nFilipino 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.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI am so excited to be involved. This is the first time the GCC has had someone from the Vatican City here, and it couldn\u2019t be a more high-ranking individual. The whole community is very excited. I don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nEse Aazagbaesuweli, from Nigeria, is also looking forward to the visit. \u201cIt will be an experience of a lifetime. I didn\u2019t manage to get a ticket, but I will be glued to my TV.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe are in a Muslim country, and I am so impressed he is coming here, especially now, in the Year of Tolerance.\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe are all the same; Muslims, Catholics, Christians, Buddhists, we believe in the same thing \u2014 peace. And I believe no region teaches violence, all religions teach peace, and I hope this visit will remind people of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nMyra Esguerra, 50, from the Philippines, was still waiting to hear if she had managed to get a ticket for the Mass. \u201cEven if I don\u2019t get one, I will somehow hopefully get to see him (the pope) pass by,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\nVanessa 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.<\/p>\n

\nMaria Joshy, 13, from Kerala, in India, will be attending the public Mass with her family. She said: \u201cI have been to (the Vatican) in Rome but never seen a pope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nFriends Baltazar Dano and Sedfreygian Fernandez, also from the Philippines, are hoping to catch a glimpse of the pontiff. \u201cWe are very happy because it is the first time he has visited here,\u201d said Dano. \u201cAround the UAE, all Catholics are excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nPope memorabilia, including T-shirts and baseball caps, has been selling fast at stalls outside St. Joseph\u2019s Cathedral.<\/p>\n

\nThe congregation, led by Father Gandolf Wild, were told to pray for the \u201csafe and successful\u201d visit of the pope. \u201cThe pope\u2019s visit will launch this Year of Tolerance, and there will be many other initiatives to spread the spirit of tolerance \u2026 and the inclusion of all regardless of health and ability,\u201d said Wild.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DUBAI: Pope Francis\u2019s 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\u2019s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":31596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle_east_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}