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UAE Moments
22-05-2025
- Politics
- UAE Moments
RAK Ruler Attends Pope Leo XIV's Inaugural Mass in Vatican
Ras Al Khaimah Ruler Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi represented the UAE on Sunday at the official inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City. He attended the event on behalf of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The ceremony was held at St. Peter's Square in Rome, with the participation of world leaders, dignitaries, and religious figures from across the globe. Pope Leo XIV now takes over as the head of the Catholic Church following the passing of Pope Francis. Read More: Meet the 9 Leading Candidates to Be the Next Pope Read More: Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as New Pope UAE extends message of peace and partnership Sheikh Saud personally delivered Sheikh Mohamed's message of congratulations to Pope Leo XIV. The UAE leadership expressed its full support for the Pope's efforts to promote peace, interfaith dialogue, and cooperation between cultures. The UAE reiterated its continued dedication to global tolerance and peaceful coexistence, stating its readiness to work closely with Pope Leo XIV on international efforts that address humanitarian and social challenges. Human Fraternity Document reaffirmed During his visit, Sheikh Saud also emphasized the significance of the Document on Human Fraternity, signed in Abu Dhabi in 2019 by the late Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Professor Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb. The agreement is seen as a landmark move in interfaith relations and a major step toward stronger global unity. The UAE remains committed to building on that foundation by encouraging dialogue between religions and fostering a culture of mutual respect.
The National
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Bringer of peace: What the Middle East is expecting of Pope Leo
On top of the weighty tasks assumed by Pope Leo XIV upon his election as pontiff, the Middle East's most senior churchmen have assigned him another: to help bring peace to the region. Clerics from the Eastern Church are urging the new pope to build bridges between not only worshippers in the Middle East, but also leaders striving to put decades of violent turmoil behind them. The first American head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo's first words to crowds in St Peter's Square were: 'Peace be with you all.' He has pledged to make 'every effort' for peace and offered the Vatican as a mediator in global conflicts, saying war was 'never inevitable'. In exclusive interviews with The National, some of the Middle East's top religious leaders urged the Pope to put the Gaza war, the plight of Christians in the Middle East, and regional conflicts at the top of his agenda as he takes up his new position. Cardinal Louis Sako, the head of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church, sat next to Pope Leo during the Vatican conclave where the new pontiff was elected. It was a chance to speak to him about the importance of promoting interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. The pope's opening prayer for peace "shows how much he is capable of doing,' Cardinal Sako said. 'I urged him to think about the Middle East and to really pay attention to the Christian-Islamic dialogue. I have always been an advocate of this important topic, there needs to be direct interest and attention to this vital issue,' he told The National. The Iraqi cardinal said he wants Arab states to enhance their ties with the Vatican and with Pope Leo to avoid conflict. 'Although the Vatican is small, its impact is huge on the world,' he said. The Catholic Church has 1.4 billion followers and 'they all listen to the Pope,' said Cardinal Sako, who added that Arab governments should try to meet the pontiff and invest their time to serve the 'interests of their states'. Father Joseph Zgheib, Vicar General of the Mariamite Maronite Order to the Holy See, expects Pope Leo to continue along the path set by the late Pope Francis − a path of peace. 'I believe he will be a pope of peace and reconciliation. For the region, this is especially significant, because it is a region plagued by war, where the roar of aircraft often drowns out the voices of peace,' Father Zgheib told The National. Peace also means inter-religious dialogue, including with Muslims, Father Zgheib said. 'Pope Leo XIV is expected to take meaningful steps in that direction, the way Pope Francis did,' he said. The new pope has given clear signals that he intends to continue Pope Francis's legacy. For instance, he emphasised the word 'dialogue' several times in his first speech after the papal election, as Emiliano Stornelli, chairman of the Religion and Security Council, told The National. 'He firmly called for peace in Ukraine, Gaza, as well as Kashmir, in his first Sunday homily,' said Mr Stornelli, whose Italy-based organisation seeks to promote conflict resolution and peace-building in troubled areas and countries. It operates in parts of the Middle East, especially Lebanon and Iraq. 'While the new pope may be less outspoken in the media, the substance of his message and the Vatican's position will remain unchanged, advocating for dialogue and peace, and an end to war.' The late Pope Francis was the first to visit the Arabian Peninsula during his time as pontiff. He made several tours to the Middle East and North Africa, including to Abu Dhabi where he met heads of other faith groups and spoke against war and political strife. Pope Leo XIV is now expected to follow in his footsteps physically as well as spiritually. 'A Middle East trip has to be done, first of all, because of Jerusalem. It is the centre of the life of the church but also because it is a conflict that represents and touches the life of the world in a way,' Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told The National. The cardinal, one of the best-known Christian leaders in the Middle East, has been in Jerusalem for more than three decades, serving in the Catholic Church's most senior roles in the Holy Land. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis just over than a week before the Gaza war started in October 2023. 'Let him breathe, I don't think he has an agenda on his table, but of course, a visit to the Middle East is one of the things that can be put on it,' he said. Cardinal Pizzaballa said a visit to Gaza could be on the list. 'The visit will be put in the context of one that helps our community there and not create further burdens. All that is necessary to get a trip we will do, without any fear and a lot of determination,' he said. In a further resemblance to Francis, Pope Leo is expected to focus closely on the present and future of Christians across the Middle East. In his previous role as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops he demonstrated support for Lebanon by visiting the Pontifical Maronite College in Rome, and 'his election as Pope was met with celebrations in Beirut and throughout the country', Cardinal Pizzaballa said. Pope Leo, 69, has been described by many as a humble and grounded individual who has seen the struggles of life and can understand the plight of people around the world. Born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, he served the church for two decades in Peru, where he became bishop and a naturalised citizen, then rose to lead his international religious order. 'He is a humble, simple, humanitarian individual, who listens to others and engages in discussion,' Cardinal Sako said. 'He has worked hard on himself, is well educated, we believe that he will walk in the same path as Pope Francis.' The Iraqi cardinal believes that Pope Leo will help bring considerable change to the region. 'This new pope appears more pragmatic, he is someone grounded in reality, who understands the Church's reality,' Father Joseph Zgheib said. 'As Pope, he will leave his mark,' he said.
ABC News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Will Pope Leo XIV follow Pope Francis' lead when it comes to interfaith dialogue?
Pope Leo XIV used his first address as pontiff, spoken from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on May 8, to call for "a peace that is unarmed and disarming". Three days later, he reiterated the message during his first Sunday blessing, appealing to the world's major powers for "no more war" and referencing the conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, India and Pakistan. It's a strong message that echoes the values of his predecessor, the "progressive" Pope Francis. Indeed, Francis was known as "the people's pope", visiting conflict zones, ministering to refugees and reaching out to leaders of all faiths. So, will the first American pope embrace Francis' legacy or tread a little more cautiously? During his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis made extraordinary strides in interfaith dialogue. Just three months after his papal election in 2013, he visited the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, a major entry point for refugees trying to enter Europe. On an altar made of a painted boat, the pope delivered a penitential Mass to mourn migrants lost at sea and lambasted the world's "globalised indifference" to the suffering of asylum-seekers of all faiths. "Right away, he showed his adeptness at intercultural [dialogue], saying, 'This is a church for everyone'," says Kristy Nabhan-Warren, an author and professor in Catholic Studies at the University of Iowa, USA. "He said, 'If we're Christian, we have to prioritise the poor and we have to bridge whatever religious differences we have', whether someone's Muslim, Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, Sikh … He really showed true leadership." Pope Francis' engagement with refugees became a key part of his pontificate, from washing the feet of Muslim women at an Italian refugee camp to inviting Syrian families fleeing violence to fly with him from Greece to Rome. "[Francis] was really pushing people not just to have mere dialogue, but to meet with people, to spend time with people, to break bread with people and to forge stronger bonds," says Craig Considine, senior lecturer in the department of sociology at Rice University, USA. In 2019, Pope Francis visited the United Arab Emirates and co-signed a document on human fraternity with the grand imam of Al-Azhar and highest authority in Sunni Islamic thought, Ahmed Al-Tayyeb. "It led to the Abrahamic Family House, which is a groundbreaking interfaith initiative in Abu Dhabi that has a synagogue, a mosque and a church all in one space," Dr Considine says. "It wasn't mere words with Pope Francis; it was actually leading to concrete initiatives, and, in this case, an actual building." The pontiff also developed friendships with other faith leaders, including controversially, the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I. The two churches have historically been deeply divided. After Francis' death, the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to their deep and abiding friendship, calling the pontiff "a true friend of Orthodoxy". Pope Francis also facilitated the first ever meeting between a pope and a Patriarch of Moscow in Cuba in 2016, though that relationship later soured with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In 2020, Pope Francis released his third encyclical — or papal letter — called "Fratelli tutti", in which he urged fraternity and friendship among all people and institutions. Pope Francis was known for travelling to places where Catholicism is in the minority, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Mongolia. "In Mongolia, for example, Catholicism is a very small minority, but [the visit] was a sense of pride for the entire nation," Professor Nabhan-Warren says. "It was incredibly legitimating and it was also a great opportunity for interfaith dialogue. "I think that one of the big reasons why Pope Francis was so beloved was that he wasn't trying to force-feed Catholicism on anyone. Through his addresses and encyclicals, Pope Francis also distanced the Church from its historical support of "just war" theory, which argues that war can be morally defensible in certain contexts. He called for peace in Ukraine, Sudan and particularly Gaza. "The people of Gaza have been in his prayers, but he was also calling his Catholic parish in Gaza daily," says Sara Silvestri, a senior lecturer in religion and international politics at City University, London. "His last wish was to actually visit Gaza, if he was [able] to get better. And he donated his Popemobile to be used as a sort of ambulance in Gaza." The new pontiff is said to be more circumspect than his predecessor, but that doesn't mean he'll shy away from intercultural dialogue, Dr Considine says. "I think we're going to see a continuation of Pope Francis' approach," he says. "Just because he's historically been a little bit more reserved does not mean he will necessarily be a reserved pope. He's in a new position with a much bigger platform, a lot more responsibilities, and he's also the head of state. His ethnic background — including his recently uncovered Creole family history — and youth in Chicago may inform this, too. His alma mater, the Catholic Theological Union, is known for its interfaith teaching, including courses on feminist theology, Catholic-Jewish and Catholic-Muslim studies. "When he was at the Chicago seminary, one of his professors was a leading Jewish scholar on Jewish-Catholic relations, and I would surmise that this professor had a big impact on Pope Leo," Dr Considine says. That professor, Rev John T. Pawlikowski, told The Jewish Chronicle: "My experience of him was he's a very open-minded person who's very much in the context of Vatican II". Dr Silvestri agrees that the new pope is "a cosmopolitan citizen of the world". "He's an American citizen, educated in America, but also has worked in South America and has Hispanic, French and Italian origins," she says. "He embodies this sense of 'Fratelli tutti' [fraternity] almost automatically. He has worked not only as an Archbishop in Peru, but also has done some pastoral work among the poor areas. "So this attention to the peripheries of the world, which was there in Francis' [papacy], is going to be there [for Leo's]. This attention to the southern hemisphere, to the confrontation between the rich north and the poor south, is going to be there." Pope Leo's background as a member of the Augustinian order is also likely to be a factor, Professor Nabhan-Warren says. "The Augustinians are missionary priests and, as a missionary, you have to be really good at encountering other faiths and you have to be good at interfaith dialogue," she says. Though the Augustinian order began in the 13th century, its central figure, St Augustine, lived in the fourth century and "is recognised as a saint by all the Christian denominations", Dr Silvestri says. "Augustine, the saint who inspires the tradition, was an African Bishop, so that shows [how] the lens of Christianity might change, not just because of where the Pope is from but also in terms of where his perspective is centred." Though Pope Leo XIV has years of pastoral and administrative experience, he has never worked as a diplomat in an official capacity, unlike many of the reported frontrunners during the conclave. Dr Considine says this is unlikely to negatively affect his papacy, however. "He's a newcomer to the Vatican bureaucracy, [being] made a cardinal just two years ago, but he also was the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, so he was in charge of essentially appointing bishops throughout the church," he says. "I think he has strong diplomatic ties … He's been received quite well around the world and I think he's got the right demeanour to make interfaith work successful for the church." Dr Silvestri agrees and says it may be beneficial for the new pope not to be "tangled in diplomacy". "In this very moment, where there is a lot of political division, you need someone who centres the Catholic Church back to its essence and brings in people around the central issues, not the doctrinal or political divisions," she says. Commentators agree that while Pope Leo may emulate Pope Francis to some degree, he will bring his own flavour to his papacy. "I think it's right not to expect a duplicate," Dr Silvestri says. How Pope Leo's values play out on the world stage remains to be seen. "We just don't know. We don't know how to pin him down," Professor Nabhan-Warren says. "And that could be the very best person to have."
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
King congratulates Pope Leo in private message
The King has sent a private message to Pope Leo XIV, congratulating him on his election, Buckingham Palace has said. His Majesty sent 'most sincere good wishes for his pontificate' on behalf of both himself and the Queen. Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Robert Prevost, was elected on Thursday as the 267th pontiff and Bishop of Rome. The King is deeply religious and takes his titles of Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England extremely seriously. He also holds a deep interest in other faiths and has made interfaith dialogue – one of the cornerstones of his work – using speeches to plea for coexistence and understanding. 'Special moment' The King and Queen were invited, at relatively short notice, for a private audience with the late Pope Francis last month, shortly before his death. The 20-minute visit, which took place during the couple's state visit to Italy, was described by Buckingham Palace as a 'special moment' – 'Che occasione speciale!' It was later hailed as one of the couple's 'personal highlights' of their four-day state visit. They were particularly touched by the late Pope's warm words of congratulations on their 20th wedding anniversary. Following Pope Francis's death on Easter Monday, the King described how both he and his wife were 'greatly moved' to have been able to visit the Pontiff in his final weeks, a private moment that will now take on particular resonance.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
King congratulates Pope Leo in private message
The King has sent a private message to Pope Leo XIV, congratulating him on his election, Buckingham Palace has said. His Majesty sent 'most sincere good wishes for his Pontificate' on behalf of both himself and the Queen. Leo XIV, formerly known as Robert Prevost, was elected on Thursday as the 267th Pontiff and Bishop of Rome. The King is deeply religious and takes his titles of Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England extremely seriously. He also holds a deep interest in other faiths and has made interfaith dialogue – one of the cornerstones of his work – using speeches to plea for coexistence and understanding. The King and Queen were invited, at relatively short notice, for a private audience with the late Pope Francis last month, shortly before his death. The 20-minute visit, which took place during the couple's state visit to Italy, was described by Buckingham Palace as a 'special moment' – 'Che occasione speciale!' It was later hailed as one of the couple's 'personal highlights' of their four-day state visit. They were particularly touched by the late Pope's warm words of congratulations on their 20th wedding anniversary. Following Pope Francis's death on Easter Monday, the King described how both he and his wife were 'greatly moved' to have been able to visit the Pontiff in his final weeks, a private moment that will now take on particular resonance. The Prince of Wales attended Pope Francis's funeral last month, his first international funeral on behalf of the King. Prince William took a moment's silence in front of the coffin, bowing his head, and made brief small talk with Donald and Melania Trump, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, and Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister. He was seated between Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, and the prime minister of Andorra for the service in St Peter's Square. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
