Francis became the first
Catholic pope to visit North Macedonia, in a 10-hour trip meant to encourage the small Balkan nation as it seeks to end a decadeslong dispute with Greece in order to join the European Union.
This was done just days before former USA President Barack Obama and
Catholic Pope Francis made their inaugural visits to Kenya.
Indeed a
Catholic pope as head of the Church of the majority of Filipinos waved to a cheering crowd carrying Vatican flags and banners as he was driven into Zayed Sports City Stadium.
But the pontiff's visit - the first by a
Catholic Pope to the Arabian Peninsula - is also a brilliant move by the UAE to promote religious inclusion in the Muslim world and quell Islamophobia in the West - both in one grand stroke.
The historic visit, during the UAE's Year of Tolerance, is the first time a
Catholic Pope has ever visited the UAE and the first time a Pontiff has undertaken an official visit alongside a Muslim religious figure as significant as the Grand Imam.
The visit is the first ever to be made by a
Catholic Pope to the Arabian Peninsula.
It will be the first time a
Catholic Pope has visited the UAE and the wider Gulf and a first for the 61-year-old British expat.
Synopsis: In the pages of "A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century", Paul Kengor (Professor of Political Science and the Executive Director of the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania) reveals a singular bond (which included a spiritual connection between the
Catholic pope and the Protestant president) that drove the President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II to confront what they knew to be the great evil of the twentieth century--Soviet communism.
Francis's visit to the meeting was the third ever by a Roman
Catholic pope to a meeting of the WCC.
Earlier, former Tourism Minister Yehia Rashid paid a three-day visit to Vatican City, during which he met with Roman
Catholic Pope Francis, who blessed the Holy Family's journey in Egypt as an official Christian pilgrimage.
Tawadros II arrived on Friday in Italy to join Roman
Catholic Pope Francis and other religious leaders, including Eastern Orthodox patriarchs and heads of churches, to hold a prayer to end wars and conflicts in the Middle East.
In this fascinating and singular study, Professor Kengor reveals a special and unique bond, which included a spiritual connection between the
Catholic pope and the Protestant president, that drove the two men to confront what they knew to be the great evil of the twentieth century: Soviet Communism.
Catholic Pope - the head of the Roman Catholic Church