Making history as the first Catholic Pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula, Pope Francis will arrive in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) this February 3 and is set to leave the country on February 5.
It is a historic event that will be marked by a mass to be held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, on the last day of his visit to the country. The papal mass on February 5 will be held at the Zayed Sports City.
Photo credit: Daily Post
While there are more than a million Roman Catholics in the UAE, most of whom are Filipinos and Indians, only 120,000 will be accommodated during the papal mass. This led to many Filipinos hoping they could get their hands on the mass tickets soon.
The organizers of the papal visit, in coordination with the UAE government, have decided to distribute these tickets to churches and parishes not just in the UAE but also in Oman and Yemen. These are under the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA).
There will also be tickets to be shared to parishes under the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia (AVONA), covering Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
Take note that the tickets are free! However, each parish has a limited number of people who could receive the tickets; thus, thousands of Filipinos are hurrying to register for the event by completing the parishioners’ registration form at their local parish.
Photo credit: Al Arabiya
Those unable to receive tickets can still join the mass by watching the live stream via www.uaepapalvisit.org
“It’s a historical event that the Pope will be coming in the Middle East at the same time we are here. We will be more closer to the Pope and that he is bringing the grace of God closer,” said St Mary’s Church in Dubai priest Fr. Chito Bartolo.
The pope’s visit in the UAE comes after the country announced that it will be celebrating the “Year of Tolerance” to “nation’s role in encouraging stability and prosperity in the region”.
