More than 10,000 people descended on St Mary's Catholic Church in Dubai last night to collect their tickets to see Pope Francis during his coming visit to the UAE.
Officials could only allocate the parish 43,000 tickets for the public Mass in Abu Dhabi next week despite about 7,000 more local worshippers wanting to attend.
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The ticket for the Papal Mass is held by a worshiper at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Leslie Pableo for The National -
Crowds waiting to get their tickets. Leslie Pableo for The National -
A church volunteer giving instructions to the crowd at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Leslie Pableo for The National -
Crowds waiting to get their tickets. Leslie Pableo for The National -
Crowds waiting to get their tickets. Leslie Pableo for The National -
Crowds waiting to get their tickets. Leslie Pableo for The National -
After waiting for hours tickets are handed out at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Leslie Pableo for The National -
Rudolph Pinto was excited to get tickets for his family. Leslie Pableo for The National
Long queues formed right around the perimeter of the church in the centre of the city as the congregation waited late into the night.
"We have people here this evening from communities all over the world and it has been a hectic day," said Mathew Thomas, vice president of the St Mary's parish council.
“Because we only have 43,000 tickets for the 50,000 people who registered, we had to allocate them on a first come, first served basis.”
Pope Francis will arrive in the UAE for the first time on Sunday.
He will celebrate a public Mass at Zayed Sports City in the capital on Tuesday, February 5, at 10.30am.
Mr Thomas said the response on the first day of tickets being allocated had been overwhelming.
He said there had been 10 separate queues of people at St Mary's church, all of them keen to get their hands on a ticket.
"There has been a huge response and it's been really encouraging to see," he said. "The biggest representation has been from the Filipino and Indian communities."
Those successful in picking up their tickets had wide grins while those still queuing looked on anxiously.
“I’ve been living in Dubai for 30 years and never thought I would see the day that the Pope came here to say Mass,” said Eleena D’Souza, 64, from India.
St Mary’s parish also announced it would be running buses to the Mass which would leave Dubai at 11.45pm on the night before.
Shearly Mascarenhas, 45, said: “I'll just have to wait for the Mass to start. I’m so excited to see the Pope I can wait a few more hours.”
Fellow Indian national, Tony Crasta, added: “I would not miss the Pope coming for anything. It’s a huge event as he is Our Father that we all look up to.”
Rudolph Pinto, from India, said: “We’ll probably get there about 4am but we are happy to wait. It's a privilege to be at a Mass said by The Pope.
"He is the head of our religion and is the representative of Jesus himself.”
Accountant Jhonna Baira, 31, said she had queued for two-and-a-half hours. “I am so excited as this means so much to me,” she said. “It’s the very first time there has been a Papal Mass in the UAE.”
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Pope Francis arrives in St Peter's Square in the Vatican in his new Hyundai popemobile in 2015. The mostly all-white Popemobile has become a common sight on Papal visits. Getty Images -
Before the popemobile was the custom of sedia gestatoria. Seen here, Pope John XXIII in his carrying chair at St Peter's Basilica during his reign in office between 1958 and 1963. Getty Images -
Popes would also ride in horse-drawn carriages much like the head of states of the time. Seen here Pope Leo XIII during his time in office from 1878 to 1903. Getty Images -
Early motorised vehicles were regal affairs and only slightly modified for the Pope. The 1930s era Merdeces-Benz Nurburg 460, pictured in front of Castel Sant’ Angelo, was a favourite of Pope Pius XI. Daimler AG -
Pope Paul VI seen standing out of the sunroof of the Mercedes-Benz 300D after return from a pilgrimage to Jordan in the 1960s. This vehicle is thought to be the first car that was customised for the Pope to stand up in. Daimler AG -
By the time Pope Paul VI was in office, papal vehicles were beginning to look like modern successors. Seen here a Willys Jeep. Getty Images -
Pope Paul VI drives through the crowds in a Willys Jeep during a visit to John Bosco School in India in 1964. Getty Images -
Pope John Paul II greets people at the Vatican City in 1979 in a Toyota Land Cruiser popemobile. Getty Images -
For big visits, an all-terrain vehicle. Here is Pope John Paul II waving from his open-top bus in 1979 in Mexico City. He would use a modern version during his return to Mexico in 1999. AFP -
In Ireland, Pope John Paul II heads to an event in a converted Ford D-series. Getty Images -
Pope John Paul II greets the crowds at Easter, 1981 in an open Fiat Campagnola. An assassination attempt in May 1981 meant the popemobile would go through a radical change. Getty Images -
During his UK visit in 1982, Pope John Paul II used a massive 24-ton Leyland lorry for his visit to Liverpool. The vehicle was sold at auction AP Photo -
Pope John Paul II arrives at Westminster Cathedral in a Range Rover that had bulletproof glass on all four sides. Getty Images -
Pope John Paul II rides along a narrow street in the same Range Rover popemobile in Toledo, Spain, in 1982. AP Photo -
Pope John Paull II travels in a heavily modified GMC Sierra popemobile through rural Newfoundland, Canada in 1984. Reuters -
Pope John Paul II waves to people gathered outside the gates of the Presidential Palace in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 1992. This Land Rover had a expanded glass casing to fit several officials. AFP -
The Pope John Paul II rides in his Mercedes-Benz 230G Popemobile with gold rims in the streets of Paris in 1997. He would use this model for most of his trips around the turn of the millenium. AFP -
Lebanese soldiers unload Pope John Paul II's Mercedes popemobile from an Italian military plane in Beirut in 1997. Two of these G-Class vehicles were produced by Mercedes. AFP -
Pope John Paul ll waves to crowds of people from his Mercedes popemobile in Damascus, Syria, in 2001. It had a top speed of 130kph. Getty Images -
Pope John Paul II stands in an updated Mercedes-Benz M-Class Popemobile which is parked in front of his family tomb in 2002 in Krakow-Rakovice, Poland. The M-Class Getty Images -
The open-air Fiat Campagnola has an outing in 2003. Getty Images -
Pope John Paul II leaves Policlinico Gemelli Hospital in Rome in his Mercedes M-Class popemobile in 2005. Getty images -
The M-class was a popular model used by Pope Benedict XVI on his international trips such as the one in Cologne, Germnay in 2005. Getty Images -
Bodyguards escort the M-Class transporting Pope Benedict XVI after his arrival in Warsaw in 2006. Getty Images -
But Pope Benedict used the Fiat while at home in Rome in 2005. Getty Images -
Pope Benedict waves to the crowds around the Vatican City in 2006. Getty Images -
Pope Benedict XVI travels in his popemobile through Sydney, Australia in 2008. Getty Images -
Pope Benedict XVI passes ancient graves in Jerusalem in 2009. Getty Images -
Pope Benedict XVI waves before he retired from office in 2013. Getty Images -
Pope Francis waves to the crowds in a Mercedes G-Wagen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013. Getty Images -
Pope Francis used a Ford Ranger during his trip to Bolivia in 2015. Getty Images -
And a Dodge popemobile in Dublin, Ireland, in 2018. Getty Images -
Pope Francis arrives for papal mass at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi in 2019 in a Mercedes G-Wagen. EPA
