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The Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
In 2020 there were nearly 850,000 expatriates in the UAE who are Catholics, representing almost 9% of the total population, [1] largely from the Philippines, India, South America, Lebanon, Africa, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, France and other parts of Europe, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The UAE forms part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. The seat of the vicariate is in St. Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi. The Vicar Apostolic Bishop is Paulo Martinelli. [2]
In June 2016, Pope Francis received and accepted an invitation to visit the UAE. On 6 December 2018, it was confirmed that the pope would visit the UAE to participate in the International Interfaith Meeting on "Human Fraternity" in Abu Dhabi.
On 3 February 2019, Pope Francis landed in Abu Dhabi [3] and was greeted by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and then Ahmad al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar University, which serves as the lead source for Sunni Islam education and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders. The visit was the first papal visit to an area in the Arabian Peninsula. [3]
On 4 February, the Pope attended the Interfaith Meeting, [4] during which he and Al-Tayyeb signed “A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together". The same day, the Pope spoke at the Abu Dhabi Founder's Memorial, held a meeting with Al-Tayyeb and other Muslim elders at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and held a meeting with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Presidential Palace.
On 5 February 2019, Pope Francis concluded his trip after giving a mass in front of a large crowd, estimated at 135,000, at Zayed Sports City. [5] Elements of the 90-minute service were conducted in Italian, English, Arabic, Tagalog, Urdu, Malayalam, Konkani and Korean. The Papal Mass was attended by nearly 20% of the estimated one million Catholics living and working in the UAE. The papal mass in Abu Dhabi was historic not only for being the first one in the Gulf region but also for the unique diversity of the participants.
In 2023 there are 10 Catholic churches in the UAE: [6]
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founding founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he succeeded Sheikh Shakhbut as the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and then as the first president of the United Arab Emirates while he retained his position as Abu Dhabi's ruler from 1971 until his death in 2004. He is revered in the United Arab Emirates as the Waalid al-Ummah, credited for being the principal driving force behind uniting the seven Trucial States to found the Union of the United Arab Emirates.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the second president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, serving from November 2004 until his death in May 2022.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, popularly known by his initials as MBZ or MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who currently serves as the third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, often referred to as Sheikh Mansour, is an Emirati royal and politician who is the current vice president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, as well as the minister of presidential court and member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi. He is the brother of the current president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and is married to Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. A billionaire, through City Football Group he holds stakes in a variety of football clubs, including current Premier League winners Manchester City F.C.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, AbZ is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. He is a son of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In 2020, he was a signatory of the Abraham Accords on behalf of the UAE.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia is an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The history of the Jews in the United Arab Emirates describes the historical and modern presence of Jews over the millennia in the Middle East and the recorded meetings with Jewish communities in areas that are today in the geographic territories of the United Arab Emirates.
According to the 2005 census, Christians accounted for 9 percent of the total population of the United Arab Emirates; estimates in 2010 suggested a figure of 12.6%.
St. Joseph's Cathedral is the seat of the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia and is one of the five Catholic churches in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi besides St. Paul's Church in Musaffah, St. Mary's Church in Al Ain, St.Francis Church in the Abrahamic Family House in Saadiyat Island and St. John the Baptist Church in Ruwais. The first church was built in 1962 in the present Corniche on a plot of land donated by Sheikh Shakhbut, the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
France–United Arab Emirates relations are the foreign relations between France and the United Arab Emirates.
Holy See – United Arab Emirates relations are the foreign relations between the Holy See and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The earliest form of contact between officials of both states was when the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, unofficially met Pope John Paul II in the 1980s. Relations between the two were not established until 31 May 2007. According to a Vatican communiqué, the diplomatic arrangement was founded on a desire to promote “bonds of mutual friendship and of strengthening international cooperation.
The United Arab Emirates has an embassy in London while the United Kingdom maintains an embassy in Abu Dhabi and is unique in having another Embassy in Dubai, albeit with His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, as opposed to a separate British Ambassador. The UAE-UK relations have been described as a "special relationship".
Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is an Emirati businessman and managing director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. He is a member of the Al Nahyan, ruling family of Abu Dhabi.
The 1974 Treaty of Jeddah was a treaty between Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, signed in 21 August 1974 between King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The treaty intended to resolve the Saudi Arabia – United Arab Emirates border dispute. Saudi Arabia ratified the treaty in 1993, but the UAE has not yet ratified it. The legal validity of the treaty has been questioned, since Qatar was not included in the negotiations, and the proposed settlement affects the Qatari border. However, Qatar had already reached a separate agreement on its border with Saudi Arabia in December 1965.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The St. Paul's Church is a religious building affiliated with the Catholic Church which is located in the area of Mussafah in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. Its importance is that it is the second Catholic church to be built in the emirate since 1965 when the St. Joseph Cathedral was built.
Armenia–United Arab Emirates relations are the diplomatic relations between Armenia and the United Arab Emirates. Official relations exist between both nations since 1998. Armenia has an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates has embassy in Yerevan.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia was an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The last Apostolic Vicar is Msgr. Paul Hinder, OFM Cap.
The Abrahamic Family House is an interfaith complex on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. The undertaking was inspired by the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis on behalf of the Catholic Church and Ahmed El-Tayeb on behalf of the al-Azhar Mosque on 4 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi. It houses the St. Francis Church, Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque and Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue in separate structures.
St. Francis Church is a church on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The church is part of the Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith complex that includes a mosque, a synagogue and a church, built with the aim of promoting Interfaith dialogue. The church is named after St. Francis of Assisi.