• Pope Francis kisses a child during his visit to St Joseph's Cathedral in Abu Dhabi. Reuters
    Pope Francis kisses a child during his visit to St Joseph's Cathedral in Abu Dhabi. Reuters
  • About 300 parishioners prayed with Pope Francis. Reuters
    About 300 parishioners prayed with Pope Francis. Reuters
  • The Pope was welcomed by cheering crowds. Reuters
    The Pope was welcomed by cheering crowds. Reuters
  • Worshippers view the historic Mass from St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Worshippers view the historic Mass from St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Left, Hannah Robb and Imelda Popplewell met the Pope in the morning at St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Left, Hannah Robb and Imelda Popplewell met the Pope in the morning at St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Worshippers rush inside to watch the Mass at St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Worshippers rush inside to watch the Mass at St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Sena Davis drew and presented a painting for the Pope. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Sena Davis drew and presented a painting for the Pope. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • St Joseph's was the first Catholic church to open in what is now the UAE on the Corniche in 1965. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    St Joseph's was the first Catholic church to open in what is now the UAE on the Corniche in 1965. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • The church moved to Al Mushrif in 1983 to land donated by Sheikh Zayed, where it stands today. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    The church moved to Al Mushrif in 1983 to land donated by Sheikh Zayed, where it stands today. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Left, Allen Joseph, Daksh Pandit and Ashten Raja, part of the choir group that saw the Pope at St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Left, Allen Joseph, Daksh Pandit and Ashten Raja, part of the choir group that saw the Pope at St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Services at St Joseph's Cathedral are in Malayalam for Keralites, Tagalog for Filipinos, Urdu, French, German and even Korean. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Services at St Joseph's Cathedral are in Malayalam for Keralites, Tagalog for Filipinos, Urdu, French, German and even Korean. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Worshippers view the historic Mass. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Worshippers view the historic Mass. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Worshippers at St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Worshippers at St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Inside St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Inside St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Worshippers view the historic Mass from St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Worshippers view the historic Mass from St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
  • Worshippers view the historic Mass from St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National
    Worshippers view the historic Mass from St Joseph's Cathedral. Khushnum Bhandari for The National

Pope Francis visits Abu Dhabi's St Joseph's Cathedral - in pictures

The pontiff was greeted by cheers and waving from the gathered crowd

The National

February 05, 2019

  • English
  • Arabic

About 300 parishioners prayed with and were blessed by Pope Francis this morning at St Joseph's Cathedral before he headed to Zayed Sports City for the public Mass.

He was welcomed by cheering crowds as he pulled up in a Kia Soul before going inside where followers took photos of themselves alongside the Pope.

St Joseph's was the first Catholic church to open in what is now the UAE on the Corniche in 1965. Sheikh Shakhbut, then Ruler of Abu Dhabi, donated the land for it and was present at the inauguration.

The church moved to Al Mushrif in 1983 to land donated by Sheikh Zayed, where it stands today. It is host to an impressive 80,000 to 90,000 parishioners and performs services in Malayalam from India’s Kerala, Tagalog from the Philippines, Urdu, French, German and even Korean.

UAE