Pope
Francis became the first pontiff to deliver Mass in the Arabian
Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam, on Tuesday Feb 05,2019, speaking in front of
tens of thousands of people in Abu Dhabi at the end of a historic visit
to the United Arab EmiratesUAE)
Prayers
were conducted in six languages -- including French, Tagalog, Urdu and
Konkani -- for attendees from multiple Christian denominations, as well
as some Muslims. Around 45,000 people crammed into the stadium while the
rest of the attendees sat outside, with crowds sprawling outside the
venue
The
ceremony took place inside and around Zayed Sports City stadium, where a
large crucifix -- a rare sight in an Arab Gulf state -- loomed above
the makeshift steeple.
In
his homily, the Pope praised the crowd as "a choir composed of numerous
nations, languages and rites." Perhaps in a nod to the UAE's large
immigrant population, he said: "It is most certainly not easy for you to
live far from home, missing the affection of your loved ones, and
perhaps also feeling uncertainty about the future. But the Lord is
faithful and does not abandon his people."
"The Lord specializes in doing new things; he can even open paths in the desert," he added.
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