ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday became the first pontiff to set foot on the Arabian Peninsula, just hours after issuing his strongest condemnation yet of the war in Yemen, where his host the United Arab Emirates has a leading military role.

Shortly before departing for Abu Dhabi, Pope Francis said he was following the humanitarian crisis in Yemen with great concern, using his regular Sunday address in Vatican City to urge all sides to implement a fragile peace deal and help deliver aid to millions of hungry people.

“The cry of these children and their parents rises up to God,” he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.

“Let us pray strongly because they are children who are hungry, who are thirsty, they don’t have medicine and they are in danger of death,” he said before boarding his flight.

The UAE welcomed the Pope’s message on Yemen and believes the peace deal he referred to was a historic breakthrough, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash wrote on Twitter.

“Let us assure its implementation and make 2019 the year of peace in Yemen,” he said after the pope landed in Abu Dhabi.

Yemen’s warring parties agreed a ceasefire in December at the first major peace talks of the nearly four-year-old war, which pits Arab states backing an exiled president against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls the capital.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, and the United Nations says millions are on the verge of starvation. Their survival depends on the truce preventing aid from being cut off by all-out fighting for the country’s main port.

Francis was greeted by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who escorted him to meet Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar mosque and university, one of the main seats of learning of Sunni Islam. The pontiff embraced him.

Both men will hold meetings with Pope Francis on Monday.

The UAE plays a leading role in the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis in Yemen. The United Nations is trying to implement a truce and troop withdrawal deal in the main Yemeni port of Hodeidah, agreed at the December talks as a step that could pave the way for negotiations to end the conflict.

Pope Francis is welcomed by Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 3, 2019. Andrew Medichini/Pool via REUTERS

Vatican officials have said it is not clear whether Pope Francis will address the sensitive subject in public or private during his visit to Abu Dhabi, which is aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue.

“NEW PAGE”

The pope will meet Muslim leaders and celebrate an outdoor mass for some 135,000 Catholics, an event with no precedent on the Arabian peninsula. He has said the trip, which ends on Tuesday, is an opportunity to write “a new page in the history of relations between religions”.

The UAE, which named 2019 its Year of Tolerance, says the visit reflects its history as a “cradle of diversity”.

But it faces criticism from human rights groups for jailing activists, including Ahmed Mansoor, an Emirati who is serving a 10-year sentence for criticizing the government on social media.

“We are calling on Pope Francis to raise the issue of their incarceration with his hosts, and urge their immediate and unconditional release,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Saturday. UAE authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The UAE is home to around 1 million expatriate Catholics, many from the Philippines. Another 1 million Catholics are believed to live in other countries in the Arabian Peninsula.

Priests and diplomats describe the UAE as one of the least restrictive environments in the Gulf for Christian worship. But like its neighbors, the UAE does not allow dissent or criticism of its leadership.

All Gulf states except Saudi Arabia allow Christian worship in churches or church compounds and other premises with special licenses. In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims pray in secret gatherings in private homes and embassies.

Abu Dhabi’s crown prince is an ally of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has reached out to Christian representatives abroad as part of attempts to open up the conservative kingdom. Mohammed bin Salman’s international reputation has eroded since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

The pope has already visited half a dozen predominantly Muslim nations during his reign, using the trips to call for inter-religious dialogue and to condemn the use of violence in the name of God.

Slideshow (8 Images)

The UAE ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, wrote in an op-ed in Politico magazine on Sunday that the pontiff’s visit sent a signal of co-existence and respect in the face of the “menace of extremism” across the Middle East.

(This story has been refiled to add dropped words to UAE minister’s title in paragraph five)</s>Pope Francis, the first leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics to visit the Arabian Peninsula, will attend an interfaith meeting in the UAE on Monday as part of his outreach to Muslims.

The pope's highly publicised 48-hour visit to the United Arab Emirates will also include an open-air mass on Tuesday for 135,000 of the Muslim country's million Catholic residents.

The pontiff, who made history when he touched down in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night, said he came "as a brother, in order to write a page of dialogue together, and to travel paths of peace together".

The pope is expected to raise the issue of Yemen, devastated by a war in which the UAE is a key player, with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

Yemen is home to what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, triggered by the intervention of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies in a war between the government and Huthi rebels.

More than 10 million Yemenis now risk imminent starvation.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb -- imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's prestigious seat of learning -- greeted the pope with an embrace on Sunday night as the pontiff arrived in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

The emirate's crown prince was also at the airport to greet the pontiff, who has made strengthening ties between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy.

Hours before he flies back to Rome on Tuesday, the pope will lead a mass in a stadium in the capital, which local media say will be the largest public gathering ever in the UAE.

The UAE has dubbed 2019 its "year of tolerance", but rights groups have criticised the country for its role in Yemen, where an estimated 10,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led alliance including the UAE joined the government's fight against the Huthis in 2015.

Rights groups, which have slammed the UAE over its intolerance of dissent, have also urged the pope to raise the issue of Ahmed Mansoor, an Emirati activist serving a 10-year prison term.

Before heading to the Gulf on Sunday, Pope Francis urged warring parties in Yemen to respect a truce agreement and allow deliveries of food aid.

"The population is exhausted by the lengthy conflict and a great many children are suffering from hunger, but cannot access food depots," he said.

"The cry of these children and their parents rises up to God."

The pope and his host Sheikh Mohammed are also expected to discuss "terrorism" and violence.

The UAE, which prides itself on its religious tolerance and cultural diversity, is a member of the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group in both Syria and Iraq.

The UAE has eight Catholic churches. Oman, Kuwait and Yemen each have four.

Qatar and Bahrain have one each, while ultra-conservative Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia bans all non-Muslim places of worship.

Muslims make up nearly four fifths of the UAE's population, but the country is also home to nearly a million Catholics, according to the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.

Migrants from Asian countries make up about 65 percent of the population.</s>ABU DHABI, Feb 4 — Pope Francis, the first leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to visit the Arabian Peninsula, will attend an interfaith meeting in the UAE today as part of his outreach to Muslims.

The pontiff arrived in a modest black Kia at Abu Dhabi’s presidential palace, where he was welcomed with a lavish military parade.

Officers fired 21 shots in the air, while jets flew overhead leaving white and yellow trails — the colours of the Vatican City flag.

The pope’s highly publicised 48-hour visit to the United Arab Emirates will also include an open-air mass tomorrow for 135,000 of the Muslim country’s million Catholic residents, set to be the largest public gathering in the country’s history.

The pope was expected to raise the issue of Yemen, devastated by a war in which the UAE is a key player, in talks with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

Yemen is the scene of what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, triggered by the intervention of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies in a war between the government and Huthi rebels.

More than 10 million Yemenis now risk imminent starvation.

Sheikh Mohammed said today that UAE rulers were “delighted” to meet the pontiff “in our homeland of tolerance”.

“We discussed enhancing cooperation, consolidating dialogue, tolerance, human coexistence and important initiatives to achieve peace, stability and development for peoples and societies,” he tweeted.

Pope Francis, who made history when he touched down in Abu Dhabi yesterday night, said he came “as a brother, in order to write a page of dialogue together, and to travel paths of peace together”.

To mark the occasion, the pontiff offered the crown prince a framed medallion of the meeting between St Francis Assisi — the pope’s namesake — and the Sultan of Egypt Malek al-Kamel, in 1219.

Sheikh Mohammed, in turn, offered a deed for the plot of land on which the first church in the UAE was built.

The pope was set to meet with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb — imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s prestigious seat of learning — later today.

Sheikh Ahmed greeted the pope personally with an embrace yesterday night as the pontiff arrived in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

The emirate’s crown prince was also at the airport to greet the pontiff, who has made strengthening ties between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy.

Hours before he flies back to Rome tomorrow, the pope will lead a mass at a stadium in the capital.

The UAE has dubbed 2019 its “year of tolerance”, but rights groups have criticised the country for its role in Yemen, where an estimated 10,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led alliance including the UAE joined the government’s fight against the Huthis in 2015.

Rights groups, which have slammed the UAE over its intolerance of dissent, have also urged the pope to raise the issue of Ahmed Mansoor, an Emirati activist serving a 10-year prison term.

Before heading to the Gulf yesterday, Pope Francis urged warring parties in Yemen to respect a truce agreement and allow deliveries of food aid.

“The population is exhausted by the lengthy conflict and a great many children are suffering from hunger, but cannot access food depots,” he said.

“The cry of these children and their parents rises up to God.”

The UAE, which prides itself on its religious diversity in the Gulf, is a member of the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group in both Syria and Iraq.

The UAE has eight Catholic churches. Oman, Kuwait and Yemen each have four.

Qatar and Bahrain have one each, while ultra-conservative Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia bans all non-Muslim places of worship.

Muslims make up nearly four fifths of the UAE’s population, but the country is also home to nearly a million Catholics, according to the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.

Migrants from Asian countries make up about 65 per cent of the population. — AFP</s>Reuters | Pope Francis visits the UAE on February 4, 2019, on his historic visit to the Arabian Penninsula.

Pope Francis received a pomp-filled welcome on Monday as he began his historic visit to the Arabian Peninsula by meeting with Emirati rulers in a Muslim region known for its restrictions on religious freedom.

Francis arrived at the Abu Dhabi presidential palace in a tiny Kia hatchback, but was greeted with an artillery salute and military flyover by a country now at war.

Even for a nation known for its excesses, the Emiratis' red-carpet welcome was remarkable for a pope who prides himself on simplicity. It featured horse-mounted guards escorting the pontiff's motorcade through the palace gardens while the flyover trailed the yellow and white smoke of the Holy See flag.

As cannons boomed and a military band played, Francis stood somberly between Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Emirati vice president and prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, during the presentation of delegations in the courtyard of the domed palace.

In a message to the prince, written in the palace book of honor, Francis thanked him for his hospitality and assured the people of the UAE of his prayers and "the divine blessings of peace and fraternal solidarity." Francis gave the crown prince a medal depicting his peace-loving namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, meeting the Egyptian sultan Malek el-Kamel 800 years ago.

Sheikh Mohammed, for his part, gave Francis a framed notarized decree from June 22, 1963, in which the then-ruler of Abu Dhabi donated the land for the construction of the first Catholic church in the Emirates.

"We discussed enhancing cooperation, consolidating dialogue, tolerance, human coexistence & important initiatives to achieve peace, stability and development for peoples and societies," Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.

Francis' speech to the gathering of faith leaders on Monday evening is to be the highlight of his brief, 40-hour visit to Abu Dhabi, the first to the Arabian Peninsula by a pope. His trip culminates on Tuesday with a huge papal Mass at the city's sports stadium expected to draw some 135,000 faithful in a never-before-seen display of public Christian worship here.

As Francis began his trip, human rights groups who are banned from the UAE urged him to use his visit to press for accountability by the Emirati leadership for atrocities in the war in Yemen and its repression of dissent at home.

"Despite its assertions about tolerance, the UAE government has demonstrated no real interest in improving its human rights record," Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Francis.

It was a reference to the UAE's often-stated claims of religious tolerance - it has a minister for tolerance, is hosting the interfaith meeting Francis is attending and has declared 2019 its "Year of Tolerance." That respect for non-Muslim forms of worship, however, runs up against the political reality of media censorship, repression of political dissent and limits placed on religious freedom.

Francis had actually made an urgent appeal for an end to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen just before he left the Vatican, calling Sunday for observation of a limited cease-fire so that food and medicine can get to its people, who are suffering the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The UAE has been Saudi Arabia's main ally in the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting the country's Houthi rebels. Francis' pre-trip appeal was a way for him to avoid embarrassing his hosts with a public denunciation of the humanitarian costs of the war while in the region.

In another sign that regional politics was playing a not-insignificant role in Francis' visit, the papal plane flew north of Qatar and around the peninsular, energy-rich nation on his flight Sunday.

Four Arab nations - Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - have been boycotting Qatar since June 2017 as part of a regional political dispute. Tensions are still high between the nations, especially after Qatar's win at the Emirates-hosted Asian Cup soccer tournament this past week.

By avoiding Qatari airspace, Francis omitted sending a telegram of greetings to the country's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as he would do when flying through the airspace of countries. He sent one when passing by the island nation of Bahrain.

Sheikh Tamim traveled Monday to Kuwait, which has been mediating the crisis.</s>Bishop Hinder said he had been unable to reach Yemen because of the war, but that working on specific cases “behind the curtain” sometimes yielded positive results. He added that a public statement by Francis on Yemen was possible, but “I am quite sure that he will speak about the drama in a more discreet way.”

The pope and the rulers of the United Arab Emirates have been more outspoken in their proclamations of their shared commitment to tolerance and interreligious dialogue.

Pope Francis, who will reside during his stay at the Al Mushrif Palace, has called the Emirates a “land that tries to be a model of coexistence” and began a video message about the trip last week with the Arabic salutation “as-salamu alaikum,” or peace be with you. “I am happy for this occasion the Lord has given me to write, on your dear land, a new page in the history of relations between religions.”

The government here has gone out of its way to welcome the pope.

“They are surely proud to be the first here in the region to receive him as a sign of recognition of their tolerance and their openness,” Bishop Hinder said. “The recognition of the tolerance in this country should be an encouragement maybe for certain countries in the neighborhood,” he added, referring to Saudi Arabia. Analysts said that the pope also most likely intended for his message to reach Iran, just across the Persian Gulf.

In January, Francis told ambassadors to the Holy See that the visit to the Emirates represented an opportunity to improve understanding and relations between the faiths, especially as this year “marks the 800th anniversary of the historic meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil” of Egypt.

On Monday the pope will meet with the Council of Muslim Elders, at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the country’s largest. The Council of Muslim Elders has come to specialize in interfaith dialogue.

But “the worry is the dialogue is just part of an image,” part of the efforts by the rulers of the United Arab Emirates to project a modern image to attract business, said Daniel Philpott, a political scientist at the University of Notre Dame and the author of the forthcoming book “Religious Freedom in Islam.”</s>Pope Francis lands in Abu Dhabi on first papal trip ever to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pope Francis lands in Abu Dhabi on first papal trip ever to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.</s>ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on Pope Francis' visit to the United Arab Emirates (all times local):

Pope Francis has been greeted by Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on his arrival to the Arabian Peninsula.

A young boy and girl in traditional Emirati dress handed the pontiff flowers after landing Sunday night. The two leaders then walked past an honor guard, all with traditional Arabic daggers at their waists.

Pope Francis and Sheikh Mohammed smiled and spoke to each other as they walked through the airport terminal.

The pope also met a host of Cabinet ministers in a greeting line, as well as local Catholic and Muslim officials.

Pope Francis has landed in Abu Dhabi on the first papal trip ever to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.

Pope Francis' Alitalia flight touched down in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday.

While Francis is building on two of his priorities with his Sunday-Tuesday visit to the United Arab Emirates — promoting interfaith dialogue and visiting the Catholic peripheries — diplomatic protocol will likely dictate that he leaves other concerns behind.

The Emirates' support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, which has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the UAE's problematic record on human rights and labor violations at home likely will get a pass — at least in public.

However, Francis did appeal earlier Sunday for an end to Yemen's humanitarian crisis, saying the "cries of these children and their parents rise up" to God.

Christian leaders attending a summit ahead of Pope Francis' arrival in Abu Dhabi say they're excited for the first papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula.

Bishop Camillo Ballin, the apostolic vicar of Northern Arabia, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the Roman Catholic Church provided succor for an estimated 1 million faithful in the United Arab Emirates, nearly all of them foreigners drawn to the country for employment.

Ballin said: "His visit is a big and important encouragement for the Christians that live in these countries because they are far from their homeland and they need especially to be encouraged so that they feel they are home."

Rev. Andrew Thompson of St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Abu Dhabi said his congregation was excited for Pope Francis' Mass on Tuesday.

Thompson said: "My congregation are so happy we are witnessing what will be the biggest Christian act of worship in the history of the Arabian Gulf, and we are excited to be a part of that."

Pope Francis has appealed for the end of Yemen's humanitarian crisis, saying the "cries of these children and their parents rise up" to God.

He made the appeal at the Vatican an hour before his scheduled departure on a three-day trip to the United Arab Emirates, which is a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Yemen's Iran-aligned rebels. The conflict has driven Yemen to the brink of famine and caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Francis urged faithful in St. Peter's Square to join him in prayer, saying "these are hungry children" with no medicine, and "are in danger of dying." Noting that many can't reach food aid areas, he appealed to the involved parties and the international community to urgently ensure that agreements are reached and food distributed.

Francis is expected in the United Arab Emirates later Sunday, where he will become the first pontiff to visit the Arabian Peninsula.

Emiratis are welcoming Pope Francis' trip to Abu Dhabi, the first-ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, where Islam was born.

The National, a state-linked, English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi, described the pope's three-day visit beginning Sunday as "a dream come true" for the country's estimated 1 million Roman Catholics.

The newspaper said: "With that moment will come a lifetime of gratitude to the UAE's rulers, who last year invited Pope Francis to visit the country and have fostered a society in which freedom of worship is afforded to all."

While Christians can worship in churches built on land donated by the country's rulers, proselytizing by non-Muslims is illegal. Blasphemy and apostasy laws also carry a possible death sentence.

Meanwhile, Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE's powerful ambassador to Washington, wrote in a Politico column that "religion today is a treacherous fault line that divides the region."

He added: "But the true faith of Muslims, Christians and Jews has never been about hate or fanaticism. There is no clash of civilizations or ideas - only a rash of ignorance and a deficit of courage and moral leadership."

Pope Francis is seeking to turn a page in Christian-Muslim relations while also ministering to a unique, thriving island of Catholicism as he embarks on the first-ever papal trip to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.

While Francis is building on two of his priorities with his Sunday-Tuesday visit to the United Arab Emirates — promoting interfaith dialogue and visiting the Catholic peripheries — diplomatic protocol will likely dictate that he leaves other concerns behind.

The Emirates' support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, which has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the UAE's problematic record on human rights and labor violations at home will likely will get a pass — at least in public.</s>Pope condemns violence in God's name at interfaith meeting in Abu Dhabi during first papal visit to Arabian Peninsula

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pope condemns violence in God's name at interfaith meeting in Abu Dhabi during first papal visit to Arabian Peninsula.</s>Pope Francis has become the first pontiff to visit the Arabian Peninsula today where is expected to raise the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

He landed in Abu Dhabi just hours after issuing his strongest condemnation yet of the war in Yemen, where his host the United Arab Emirates has a leading military role.

A young boy and girl in traditional Emirati dress handed the pontiff flowers and the two leaders then walked past a guard of honour, all with traditional Arabic daggers at their waists.

Pope Francis and Sheikh Mohammed smiled and spoke to each other as they walked through the airport terminal.

The pope also met a host of cabinet ministers in a greeting line, as well as Catholic and Muslim officials.

Before he boarded his flight, the pope said in his regular Sunday address in Vatican City that he was following the urgent humanitarian crisis in Yemen with great concern.

He urged all sides to implement a fragile peace deal and help deliver aid of food and medicine to millions of starving people.

The UAE plays a leading role in the Saudi-led coalition battling the Iran-aligned Houthi group to restore the internationally recognised government in the nearly four-year war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

Pope Francis made the appeal at the Vatican before boarding a plane to the United Arab Emirates, which has been Saudi Arabia's main ally in its war in Yemen - a way to avoid embarrassing his hosts with a public call while in the region.

The United Nations is trying to implement a truce and troop withdrawal deal in the main Yemeni port of Hodeidah that was agreed in December talks as a trust-building step that could pave the way for political negotiations to end the conflict.

'The cry of these children and their parents rise up to God,' Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.

'Let us pray strongly because they are children who are hungry, who are thirsty, they don't have medicine and they are in danger of death,' he said before boarding his flight to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

Vatican officials have said it is not clear whether Pope Francis will address the sensitive subject in public or private during his visit to Abu Dhabi, which is aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue.

The pope will spend less than 48 hours in the UAE, where he will meet Muslim leaders and celebrate an outdoor mass for some 120,000 Catholics.

He has said the trip is an opportunity to write 'a new page in the history of relations between religions'.

The UAE, which named 2019 its Year of Tolerance, says the visit reflects its history as a 'cradle of diversity'.

But it faces criticism from human rights groups for jailing activists, including Ahmed Mansoor, an Emirati who is serving a 10-year sentence for criticising the government on social media.

'We are calling on Pope Francis to raise the issue of their incarceration with his hosts, and urge their immediate and unconditional release,' Amnesty International said in a statement on Saturday.

UAE authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Priests and diplomats describe the UAE as one of the most open environments in the Gulf for Christian worship. But like its neighbours, the UAE does not allow dissent or criticism of its leadership.

The UAE is home to around half of an estimated two million expatriate Catholics living in the peninsula, a territory which also hosts Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia and is the birthplace of the religion.

The pope will meet Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who invited him.

The prince is an ally of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has reached out to Christian representatives abroad as part of attempts to open up the conservative kingdom.

All Gulf states except Saudi Arabia allow Christian worship in churches or church compounds and other premises with special licences.

In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims pray in secret gatherings in private homes and embassies.

The pope will also meet Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar mosque and university, the 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Muslim learning.

The meeting will be held in Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Francis has already visited half a dozen mainly Muslim nations during his reign, using the trips to call for inter-religious dialogue and to condemn the use of violence in the name of God.

The UAE ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, wrote in an op-ed in Politico magazine on Sunday that the pontiff's visit sends a signal of co-existence and respect in the face of the 'menace of extremism' across the Middle East.

The Emirates' support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, which has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the UAE's problematic record on human rights and labour violations at home are likely to get a pass - at least in public.

Francis is travelling to Abu Dhabi to participate in a conference on inter-religious dialogue sponsored by the Emirates-based Muslim Council of Elders, an initiative that seeks to counter religious fanaticism by promoting a moderate brand of Islam.

It is the brainchild of Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar, the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islam learning that trains clerics and scholars from around the world.

It will be the fifth meeting between Francis and Sheikh el-Tayeb, evidence that Al-Azhar's freeze in relations with the Holy See sparked by Pope Benedict XVI's 2006 comments linking Islam to violence has thoroughly thawed.

In a video message to the Emirates on the eve of his trip, Francis paid homage to his 'friend and dear brother' el-Tayeb and praised his courage in calling the meeting to assert that 'God unites and doesn't divide.'

'I am pleased with this meeting offered by the Lord to write, on your dear land, a new page in the history of relations among religions and confirm that we are brothers despite our differences,' Francis said.

In a statement yesterday, Al-Azhar described the upcoming meeting as 'historic' and praised the 'deeply fraternal relationship' between its imam and the pope, which it said even includes birthday greetings.</s>ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Pope Francis arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, the first visit by a pontiff to the Arabian Peninsula, where he will meet with Muslim and political leaders and celebrate an outdoor mass in the capital Abu Dhabi.

The pope, who landed at Abu Dhabi’s airport, will stay in the UAE until Tuesday.
Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, becoming the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula.