Pope Francis will begin a four-day trip to Bahrain on Thursday, his second official visit to the Gulf following his journey to the UAE in 2019.
The Pope will hold Papal Mass on Saturday in the capital Manama.
His predecessors made several visits to the Middle East.
First Papal visit outside Europe
The first papal visit by plane was made by Pope Paul VI, who flew from Italy to Jordan in 1964 — the first time the head of the Catholic Church had left Europe.
King Hussein received him in Amman before he travelled to Jerusalem.
“The Church looks upon Muslims with respect,” Paul VI said at the time.
In May 2001, John Paul II became the first pope ever to enter a mosque when he visited Syria — 10 years before civil war broke out in the country.
He went to the world-famous Umayyad Mosque, built in the year 715 in Syria's capital Damascus.
He reminded the world of Syria's “magnificent contribution” to Christian history.
“We remember that it was in fact in Syria that the Church of Christ discovered her truly catholic character and took on her universal mission,” he said.
Two years later, John Paul II called for a global fast to support peace in the Middle East when US president George W Bush was about to declare war in Iraq following the September 11 attacks of 2001 on the World Trade Centre.
John Paul II subsequently made trips to Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey.
Lebanon visit to come
Pope Benedict XVI's final papal trip was to Lebanon in 2012.
“I pray to God for Lebanon, that she may live in peace and courageously resist all that could destroy or undermine that peace. I hope that Lebanon will continue to permit the plurality of religious traditions and not listen to the voices of those who wish to prevent it,” he said.
There are plans for Pope Francis to visit Lebanon in the near future.
He has added Arabic as an official language for his weekly general audience addresses in St Peter's Square.
His trip to the UAE was also significant in that it marked the first Papal Mass to be held in the Arabian Peninsula when he visited Abu Dhabi in February 2019.
Interreligious dialogue was the focus of his two-day trip, which was followed by the UAE's announcement that it would build the Abrahamic Family House that will bring together the world's three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Last year, Pope Francis also visited Iraq, known as the birthplace of civilisation, some four years after ISIS was defeated after the militants captured a third of the country in 2014.
“Let the guns fall silent,” he said during a speech at the Presidential Palace in Baghdad during his trip. “Enough violence, enough polarisation … let us help the citizens who want to build this nation.”
Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar have yet to be visited by a Roman Catholic pope.
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
