Tens of thousands of Catholics attended Easter Sunday services across the UAE amid prayers for the health of Pope Francis and calls for peace around the world.
Masses began as early as 4am with large congregations of worshippers attending the dozens of services in several languages in larger churches such as St Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi and St Mary's Catholic Church in Dubai.
But services were held across the country, drawing huge numbers of the faithful. The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai provided free bus services to take people from Energy Metro Station to the church complexes in Jebel Ali.
Easter Sunday marks Jesus's rising from the dead and is a key Christian festival that is the culmination of Holy Week.
In his Easter Sunday message, Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar for Southern Arabia, said celebrating Easter in a world torn by divisions and wars means celebrating a great hope.
“If we stop to note only the wars and divisions we do not do a good service to humanity. Of course we need to understand the situation and try to remove the causes of conflicts. But we need to recognise that the human race is marked by limits and evil and we all need God, we need his mercy,” he said.
“At Easter, we celebrate a decisive victory that allows us to be promoters of reconciliation and peace in the world.”
Bishop Martinelli called for prayers for peace in the world “so that all bloodshed may be avoided and especially children may be always and everywhere protected”.
He also prayed in particular for “Pope Francis, for his health, after the illness that struck him in the past weeks and from which he is recovering”.
The pontiff, 88, missed the majority of Holy Week events but appeared on Sunday at St Peter's Square to wish “Happy Easter” to thousands of worshippers.
Pope Francis went to the balcony in a wheelchair and waved to the overjoyed crowds below.
The Urbi et Orbi message was delivered by a clergy member and it mentioned the “growing climate of anti-Semitism” and also condemned the situation in Gaza.
The message also called for prayers for the Christian communities in the Middle East, urged a solution to the crisis in Yemen and called for peace in Ukraine.
Pope Francis is still recovering from pneumonia that put his life in danger.
“Pope Francis loves the UAE very much. His visit to the UAE in February 2019 is unforgettable, not only for us Catholics. May the Lord give him health and joy,” said Bishop Martinelli.
“Let us always thank and pray for the Rulers of the UAE, for their guidance and so that God may always be their reference. For prosperity and peace in this country that hosts us.”
It is thought that tens of thousands of Roman Catholics were attending the services and there about a million Catholics in the UAE.
Bishop Martinelli said Easter urges people to share their joy with all those who live in the UAE and, fundamentally, it was a message of peace.
“And it is this message that we want to convey to all those who live in this country. We want to be promoters of peace and peaceful coexistence between people of different cultures and religions. Easter invites us to be peacemakers,” he said.
“The UAE has a great tradition of tolerance and acceptance, for this reason we Christians in the light of Easter joy want to bring our contribution of peace to build an increasingly fraternal and human society. This attitude for peace and reconciliation urges us to always work to resolve conflicts and for the common good.”
