Catholics in the UAE and surrounding Persian Gulf nations are all excited about the visit of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi. While the excitement is understandable given the stature of the head of the Catholic Church, it goes too far when the visit is compared to a similar visit by the current pope’s patron St. Francis of Assisi crossing over to meet the Sultan of Egypt during the wars of the Fifth Crusade,
In my view this visit of Francis is nothing grandiose and on the scale of what it is made out to be. Sure, it is a coup for the rulers of the UAE since it puts them in the world news, a definite plus needed to boost their credibility in their straitened financial condition and the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020 which critics are already predicting to be a failure. If Pope Francis is hoping for a change in the attitude towards the Christian Faith being allowed to practice there, it’s not going to happen. They may be liberal as compared to some of their neighbours but forget about a change towards their prevailing faith policies. It’ll take more than a Pope for that. So what do you think the Vatican bureaucracy thinks it can get from this visit? Possibly a more generous collection from the faithful in a well heeled tax free jurisdiction, but with expats fleeing the place in droves, this expectation could be misplaced. Perhaps an example to Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s current best friend and ally to liberalize its chokehold on religious fanaticism. Not likely to happen either. Could it be a friendly talk with Mohamed Bin Zayed about easing up on the slaughter of the starving Yemenis or at least persuade his best friend MBS to discontinue that policy. Who really knows. Just as historians will never know what transpired between Francis of Assisi and the Sultan of Egypt 800 years ago to the date, few will really know the true purpose of the current Pope’s visit. One thing is sure. It has nothing to do about the two faiths or about religion. In 1219, St. Francis crossed Crusade lines to meet Egypt's sultan. What can we learn from their encounter? | America Magazine https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2017/12/08/1219-st-francis-crossed-crusade-lines-meet-egypts-sultan-what-can-we-learn Roland. Toronto.
