The legacy of Pope Francis’ visit will be a new mosque and church in Abu Dhabi
The places of worship will celebrate inter-faith relations
The religious leaders also signed the Human Fraternity Document at the Founder’s Memorial, which aims to create harmony between faiths and spread a message of peace and were the first recipients of the Human Fraternity Award.
February 05, 2019 1:22 PM
The visit of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi will have a long-lasting legacy in the UAE.
Not only has the trip broken new ground for relations between the Muslim and Catholic faiths, but it has also opened up a dialogue for future conversations between the two faiths.
A new church and mosque will be built in honour of the landmark visit of the Pope and Grand Imam Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb.
They will be called the Church of Saint Francis and the Mosque of Grand Imam Ahmed Al Tayeb.
The two leaders of their faiths signed the foundation stone to build the new places of worship with HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
Not only has the trip broken new ground for relations between the Muslim and Catholic faiths, but it has also opened up a dialogue for future conversations between the two faiths.
A new church and mosque will be built in honour of the landmark visit of the Pope and Grand Imam Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb.
They will be called the Church of Saint Francis and the Mosque of Grand Imam Ahmed Al Tayeb.
The two leaders of their faiths signed the foundation stone to build the new places of worship with HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
The religious leaders also signed the Human Fraternity Document at the Founder’s Memorial, which aims to create harmony between faiths and spread a message of peace and were the first recipients of the Human Fraternity Award.
Lucifer’s birds of a feather : Pope Francis' prayer at Blue Mosque
'exactly the same' as Benedict XVI
Following the satanic ecumenical steps of Late Pope Paul II who
kissed the Koran: Pope Francis Prays facing Mecca: ‘Pope Francis’ Bows Head in
‘Silent Adoration’ Beside Islamic Grand Mufti in Turkey’s Blue Mosque
Pope Francis prays in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque
Pontiff is joined by senior Islamic cleric as hundreds watch from behind police barriers
On the second day of his highly symbolic trip to Turkey, Pope Francis this morning joined the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Rahmi Yaran, in a moment of prayer during a visit to the celebrated Blue Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
As he was being
shown around the magnificent mosque, the Pope apparently suggested that
the two men should pray together, which they then did. Afterwards, the
Grand Mufti told the Pope:
“We need prayers so much.”
The joint prayer
by the two leaders was a highly symbolic moment on a visit which is
clearly focused on improving inter-religious and ecumenical relations,
at a time when east–west and Catholic-Muslim tensions have been
obviously exacerbated by Isis violence in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.
Given that
context, this visit to 76 million-strong, 99 per cent Islamic Turkey is
being played out against a background of understandably tight security
arrangments.
When the pope
arrived at the Blue Mosque this morning from Istanbul’s Ataturk airport,
he travelled along streets lined with police. Rather than travelling in
his celebrated opentopped ‘Popemobile’, he travelled in an ordinary
Renault limousine, followed by two secret service Hummers. Overhead at
least one drone and one military helicopter patrolled the scene.
As he stepped out
of his car in front of the Blue Mosque, he was greeted with timid
applause from the modest crowd, many of whom were weekend tourists. One
man standing near your correspondent began to shout “Allah Akbar” (Allah
is Great) but he quickly desisted as police moved in his direction.
The heavy police
presence around the Blue Mosque and the nearby Ayasofya or Santa Sofia
museum was such that the large policemen blocked the view for many
onlookers. Diminutive Italian nun Sr Sophia, who has lived for 39 years
in Turkey and who struggled to get a glimpse of the pope, told The Irish
Times:
“We’re allowed to live here. You live well here.”
After his visit to
the Blue Mosque, the pope then travelled 300 yards to the nearby
Ayasofya or Santa Sofia museum, a 1400-year old building which in itself
embodies much of Turkey’s complex past.
Having served as
an Orthodox patriarchal basilica for more than 1,000 years until the
then Constantinople was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453, the Ayasofya
was then turned into a mosque.
It remained a
mosque until 1931 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern
Turkish republic converted it into a museum. The future of the Ayasofya
remains uncertain with many believing that it could yet be turned back
into a mosque. After his visit, the pope left a telling message in the
visitors’ books, writing:
“Quam dilecta
tabernacula tua Domine (Psalmus 83). Contemplating the beauty and
harmony of this sacred place, my soul rises to the Almighty, source and
origin of all beauty, and I ask the Almighty to always guide the hearts
of humanity on the path of truth, goodness and peace.”
Even as the pope
left the Ayasofya, there was a very clear reminder of the cultural
context of Istanbul as the loudspeakers rang out with the muezzin’s call
to prayer in the Blue Mosque. Later on Saturday, the pope was due to
celebrate mass in the small Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit, which
stands hidden from view off a busy downtown thoroughfare.
The pope will also
offer a prayer at the St George Orthodox church, seat of the Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew 1.
On Sunday, he will
join Bartholomew in a three-hour long service to celebrate the feast of
St Andrew, patron saint of the Orthodox church.
After the service,
the two men will sign a joint declaration intended to underline the
improving relations between two churches which have been split since
1054.
On the first day
of his visit on Friday, the pope met with Turkish president Recep
Erdogan in Ankara, describing Turkey as a country which is “a natural
bridge between two continents and diverse cultures”. The pontiff also
praised the generosity of Turkey for having taken in more than two
million Syrian and other refugees.
In response, Mr
Erdogan pointed an accusatory finger at Syrian president Bashar
al-Assad, whom he accused of conducting “state terrorism” in his own
country.
He also argued
that the economically downtrodden “masses” of the Islamic world, “pushed
into poverty”, have been exploited by extremist groups such as Isis and
Boko Haram.
