In June 2016, Pope Francis received and accepted an invitation to visit the UAE. On 6 December 2018, it was confirmed that the pope would visit the UAE to participate in the International Interfaith Meeting on "Human Fraternity" in Abu Dhabi.
On 5 February 2019, Pope Francis concluded his trip after giving a mass in front of a large crowd, estimated at 135,000, at Zayed Sports City.[5] Elements of the 90-minute service were conducted in Italian, English, Arabic, Tagalog, Urdu, Malayalam, Konkani and Korean. The Papal Mass was attended by nearly 20% of the estimated one million Catholics living and working in the UAE. The papal mass in Abu Dhabi was historic not only for being the first one in the Gulf region but also for the unique diversity of the participants.
Churches in the UAE
In 2023 there are 10 Catholic churches in the UAE:[6]