Now more than ever is the time we remember Pope Francis’ teachings: Dubai St Mary’s Catholic Church rector

Dubai: Now more than ever, we must remember Pope Francis’ teachings, the Rector of Dubai’s St Mary’s Catholic Church, Father Lennie J.A. Connully (OFM Cap), said after the tragic demise of Pope Francis on Monday.

He said, “Now, more than ever, we must remember the Pope’s teachings – we should not stand idly by but rather come together in human fraternity, choosing unity over creating war and orphaning children.”

Father Lennie added, “Today’s unexpected news deeply saddens us. He was truly a great and pastoral Pope, a loving and kind figure who consistently shared his love with people,” said Father Lennie.

He added, “He was a very revolutionary type of Pope who bought gospel values into his personal life and his followers.”

St Mary's Catholic Church is expected to hold a special mass in honour of Pope Francis. Date and time of the mass will be revealed soon, said Father Lennie.

He reminisced about when the ‘people’s Pope’ visited Abu Dhabi in 2019 – the first-ever visit by a pontiff to the Arabian Peninsula. “I was there when the Pope visited. It was a landmark moment for the entire region,” he said.

Pope Francis held the first-ever public Papal Mass in the region, which was attended by a large gathering of believers at Zayed Sports City Stadium.  Estimates vary, but reports indicate that between 135,000 and 180,000 people attended Pope Francis’s Mass in Abu Dhabi.

Father Lennie said, “The Human Fraternity Document he produced, in collaboration with the Imam of Egypt, was a landmark event, making a powerful statement about unity and urging us not to fight in the name of religion, but to recognise our shared fraternity.”

Throughout his trip to Abu Dhabi, Pope Francis stressed the importance of religious tolerance, coexistence, and the rejection of violence and extremism.

The signing of the Human Fraternity Document: A key event was the signing of the ‘Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together’, also known as the Abu Dhabi declaration, with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of the Al Azhar Mosque in Egypt. The document called for greater understanding and solidarity between religions and promoted peace and tolerance. The visit powerfully symbolised interfaith dialogue and aimed to build brid

ges between Christianity and Islam. Pope Francis met with various religious leaders and participated in an inter-religious meeting at the Founder’s Memorial in Abu Dhabi. He also visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque; he made a private visit to St Joseph’s Cathedral.