It was still dark on the morning of February 5, 2019, but already the faithful were on their way to Abu Dhabi.
Tens of thousands of worshippers had set off on the long journey to the capital from the four corners of the UAE. From Ruwais to Ras Al Khaimah, they came on special buses, others by car, and some hitched a lift with whoever they could – but all were united by a determination to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event.
The symbolism of what was happening could not be overstated. Here, in an Islamic country, Pope Francis was to celebrate an open-air Mass at Zayed Sports City. As a reporter for The National covering the event, the devotion and dedication from those who attended was incredible to see.
They were living far from their homes and families, but were brought together on a momentous day that will live forever in the hearts and minds of those who were there.
This was the first visit by the pontiff. And a Mass on this scale had never been seen before in the Arabian Gulf. So many people came that giant screens were installed outside the venue so people who didn’t make it inside could watch. There was something special in the air that day as Catholic hymns drifted across Zayed Sports City and filtered out into the city.
This was no ordinary mass. As the Pope approached, cheers rang out from the jubilant crowds wearing pope-branded baseball caps and waving Vatican flags. They chanted his name, shouting "Viva il Papa" as the pontiff circled the pitch in his popemobile under the winter sun before the mass at 10.30am. A little girl even ran towards the pope and he blessed her.
In his homily, delivered in Italian and translated into Arabic with English subtitles, Pope Francis addressed the expatriate Catholic workers in the UAE. “It is most certainly not easy for you to live far from home, missing the affections of your loved ones, and perhaps also feeling uncertainty about the future. But the Lord is faithful and does not abandon his people,” he said.
He also spoke about materialism and called for greater understanding between the world’s religions. Pope Francis said people who were powerful or wealthy were often acclaimed by crowds. But Jesus believed in the meek, the poor and the persecuted. “Who is correct here: Jesus or the world?” he asked.
"Look at Jesus: he left nothing written, built nothing imposing. And when he told us how to live, he did not ask us to build great works or draw attention to ourselves with extraordinary gestures. He asked us to produce just one work of art, possible for everyone: our own life."
Rounds of applause broke out throughout the service, and some people were visibly emotional. After the homily, prayers were said in commonly spoken languages in the UAE, such as Urdu, Tagalog and Malayalam.
The pontiff then blessed the crowd, cheers erupted, and the mass finished just after midday. More than 130,000 people were inside the stadium, with some putting the attendance at 180,000, including those outside.
Pope Francis died on Monday. But no one at Zayed Sports City that sunny February day will forget his visit. The symbolic location of the Mass – close to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – underlined the tolerance shown by the country’s leaders. But this was nothing new.
It was noteworthy that Pope Francis visited St Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi hours before the historic Mass. The church was established in the 1960s, before the UAE was even formed, and the 2019 visit was simply the culmination of decades of work by pioneering priests and dedicated congregations, and tolerance shown by the country’s rulers.
The pope’s outreach to other religions will also not have gone unnoticed in the UAE. Whatever happens next, a crucial phase in Roman Catholic history has passed.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Everton 2 (Tosun 9', Doucoure 93')
Rotherham United 1 (Olosunde 56')
Man of the Match Olosunde (Rotherham)
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
SPECS
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F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
The%20specs
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
