Catholics in the UAE prepare to welcome Pope Francis in hordes

While nearly 4 in 5 people in the UAE are Muslims, the country is also home to nearly a million Catholics

The pontiff’s first-ever trip to the Arabian Peninsula is widely seen as encouraging inter-religious dialogue in the region

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Worshippers pray during mass at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Jebel Ali, Dubai. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:55pm, 2 Feb 2019Updated: 7:55pm, 2 Feb 2019

Like millions of his compatriots, Filipino migrant Ray Erwin adores Pope Francis. This weekend, he is counting down the hours to a historic papal mass in Abu Dhabi.

“We are very grateful. It’s a chance of a lifetime,” said the father of two, who has lived in the country for 20 years.

Erwin, 44, will be among 135,000 worshippers expected to gather on Tuesday when “Lolo Kiko” (Grandpa Francisco), as the pontiff is affectionately known in the Philippines, holds a vast open-air mass in the Muslim-majority Arabian Peninsula.

The pope’s three-day trip, which starts on Sunday, is the first ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula – the birthplace of Islam.

Two parishioners at St Mary’s Catholic Church take selfies in front of a cut-out picture of Pope Francis, in Dubai, the UAE. Photo: AP

While nearly 4 in 5 people in the UAE are Muslims, the country is also home to nearly a million Catholics, according to the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. Most are from India or the Philippines.