Vatican, Al-Azhar sign document on fighting extremism
February 4, 2019 | 07:42 PM
Pope Francis (L) greeting Egypt's Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb greet each other as they arrive at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.— AFP
February 4, 2019 | 07:42 PM
Last Updated: February 4, 2019 | 07:43 PM
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DUBAI — The Vatican and Egypt’s Al-Azhar mosque and university signed on Monday a document on fighting extremism, Al Arabiya TV reported.
The document was signed in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, during the historic visit of Pope Francis to the Arabian peninsula.
Pope Francis, the first leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to visit the Arabian Peninsula, attended an interfaith meeting in the UAE on Monday as part of his outreach to Muslims.
The pontiff arrived in a modest black Kia at Abu Dhabi’s presidential palace, where he was welcomed with a lavish military parade. Officers fired 21 shots in the air, while jets flew overhead leaving white and yellow trails -- the colors of the Vatican City flag.
The pope’s highly publicized 48-hour visit to the United Arab Emirates will also include an open-air mass on Tuesday for 135,000 of the Muslim country’s million Catholic residents, set to be the largest public gathering in the country’s history.
Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zaye said on Monday that UAE rulers were “delighted” to meet the pontiff “in our homeland of tolerance”.
“We discussed enhancing cooperation, consolidating dialogue, tolerance, human coexistence and important initiatives to achieve peace, stability and development for peoples and societies,” he tweeted. — Agencies
The document was signed in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, during the historic visit of Pope Francis to the Arabian peninsula.
Pope Francis, the first leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to visit the Arabian Peninsula, attended an interfaith meeting in the UAE on Monday as part of his outreach to Muslims.
The pontiff arrived in a modest black Kia at Abu Dhabi’s presidential palace, where he was welcomed with a lavish military parade. Officers fired 21 shots in the air, while jets flew overhead leaving white and yellow trails -- the colors of the Vatican City flag.
The pope’s highly publicized 48-hour visit to the United Arab Emirates will also include an open-air mass on Tuesday for 135,000 of the Muslim country’s million Catholic residents, set to be the largest public gathering in the country’s history.
Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zaye said on Monday that UAE rulers were “delighted” to meet the pontiff “in our homeland of tolerance”.
“We discussed enhancing cooperation, consolidating dialogue, tolerance, human coexistence and important initiatives to achieve peace, stability and development for peoples and societies,” he tweeted. — Agencies
