International criticism of Pope Francis due to his visit to the UAE
The Observer British newspaper pointed out that Pope Francis was under intense international criticism due to his visit to the United Arab Emirates, a country that is committing “brutal” acts in the Yemeni war and violations of human rights.
“Pope Francis is expected to hold a mass in the city of Abu Dhabi to a crowd of 120,000 at the first papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, at the invitation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” the Observer reported.
Francis, the head of the world’s Catholic Church, has been criticized for the visit, which came despite the UAE’s role in the war in Yemen, the Saudi-led alliance to fight the Huthis.
The opposition, according to BBC, considered that the Pope “got himself” in cooperation with the UAE, which is participating in the war in Yemen.
“It is not good for the pope to visit the UAE, while his government is involved in all the atrocities in Yemen,” the BBC quoted Emil Nakhla, a former CIA official.
The newspaper added that the Pope would also lay the foundation stone, in partnership with Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb, for a church and a mosque. They will also sign a joint declaration of mutual respect between Islam and Christianity on behalf of millions of their followers.
“This is of course a historic visit, because it is the first time a pope visits the Arabian Peninsula, which no one had thought of or expected,” the paper quoted Paul Hinder, the Vicar Apostolic to southern Arabia.
Amnesty International has called on the Pope to address the issue of human rights defenders detained in the UAE.
“The UAE authorities are trying to describe 2019 as a year of tolerance and to use the Pope’s visit as evidence of respect for diversity,” Amnesty said.
The pope will spend less than 48 hours in the United Arab Emirates, where Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition that is part of the Yemen war. The Pope is scheduled to deliver only two speeches during his visit, which begins on Sunday evening.
The war in Yemen and the UAE’s violations will overshadow the Pope’s visit.
The pope said in June that he was following up on “the tragic fate of the people of Yemen who are already exhausted by the long years of conflict” and appealed to the international community to pursue negotiations “in order to avoid a deterioration of the already disastrous humanitarian situation.”
The UAE has played a leading role in the Saudi-led coalition, which has been waging a nearly four-year war in Yemen against Houthi militants.
Human rights groups have accused UAE-backed forces of torturing detainees in areas under their control in Yemen, a charge denied by the UAE.
“I do not think the pope will be silent about what is going on in the region,” Archbishop Paul Hender, the Holy See’s deputy in southern Arabia, said in an interview when he was asked if the pope will talk about the war.
Vatican spokesman Hinder and Alessandro Jesotti said they do not know whether the pope would speak about the war publicly or in private meetings with UAE leaders.
“The Pope spoke out loud about the suffering of the people of Yemen, while many others remained silent,” Jesotti told reporters on Friday. He did not specify who he meant by the others who remained silent.
Jesotti added, “he stressed the need for commitment to peace and respect for human rights, especially the rights of civilians and children.”
