Dubai: Catholics in the UAE who would like to avail of limited tickets to the Holy High Mass by Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi on February 5 may register with their local parishes this month while non-GCC residents may register until January 21, organisers said on Thursday.
Considering the limited number of seats at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, only 120,000 tickets will be available, although organisers said “this number is subject to change”.
Parishioners attending St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai have until January 15 to register online to be able to attend the Papal Mass while St. Francis Church in Jebel Ali parishioners may register until January 20.
“Number of entry tickets is limited so delay in registration will result in losing your chance to get a ticket from the quota our parish will get,” the St. Mary’s Church announcement read.
Not everyone who registers will automatically get tickets, however, as quotas have been set for each parish.
“Our Parish will list out all the main representations of the parish — by community, ministry, movements, etc with the aim to ensure as much a broad representation as possible.”
Members of other parishes are advised to check with their parishes for official announcements.
A number of tickets will be reserved for Catholics based in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait or Bahrain, details of which have yet to be announced.
Non-GCC residents may apply for tickets to attend the mass although it will very limited in number. Deadline for online registration is January 21. Tickets will be issued on a first come, first served basis.
Registration — what you should know
■ Deadline for registration for St Mary’s Catholic Church — January 15
■ Where to register: https://www.saintmarysdubai.org/online-profile
■ Deadline for registration for St Francis Church — Jebel Ali: January 20
■ Where to register: https://stfrancisjebelali.ae/register-online
■ Deadline for non-GCC residents: January 21
■ Where to register: https://uaepapalvisit.org/non-gcc
■ Bar-coded tickets may be claimed from St Joseph’s Cathedral Abu Dhabi or St Mary’s Church Dubai from January 28 to February 4 before 5pm.
■ Documents requirement: Valid Passport with no GCC Resident Visa.
■ The registration process is similar for almost all the churches:
Follow the below steps:
Step one: Register as a parishioner
Step two: Obtain Parishioner Registration ID Number.
Step three: Wait for updates on ticketing process through Church announcements and website.
For more details contact the UAE Papal Visit Call Centre on 04-317 9333
