(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
ABU DHABI, 5th February, 2019 (WAM) "It is impossible to exaggerate the significance" of the 3-day visit to the United Arab Emirates by Pope Francis, according to a prominent American Christian leader.
Reverend Johnnie Moore, President of the congress of Christian leaders and a member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, went on to say that the visit, with the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity and the Papal Mass in Abu Dhabi, had "an obvious intention."
In an opinion piece on US Fox News, Rev. Moore added: "they are meant to signal a new era in the Arab world, for a new generation that is tired of the bastardising of their religion by extremists.
He added that the message had been put "more elegantly" by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
"We have learned from hundreds of thousands of dead and millions of refugees in our region that sectarian, ideological, cultural and religious bigotry only fuel the fires of rage," he quoted H.H. Sheikh Mohammed as saying. "We cannot and will not allow this in our country. We need to study, teach and practice tolerance and instill it in our children, both through education and our own example."
Moore went on to quote Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh as saying: ""It is not sufficient to talk about abstract concepts like human fraternity and peaceful coexistence, we have to do something about it."
The UAE, Moore added, was already undertaking steps to implement its commitment.
One that had particularly struck him, he wrote, was the recent announcement by Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Noura Al Kaabi, the UAE would be rebuilding two churches destroyed by Daesh in Mosul, Iraq.
"Those churches are adjacent to the very Grand Mosque where the leader of the so-called Islamic State announced his now-decimated ‘caliphate.' Rebuilding those churches represents a profound act of solidarity with Iraq's beleaguered Christian community, and a demonstration of the triumph of peace over the terror that ravaged Iraq just a few years ago."
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, "knew exactly what he was doing when he invited Pope Francis to visit the Arabian Peninsula to inaugurate the UAE's "Year of Tolerance," Moore wrote.
"The UAE has long been a beacon of openness, freedom and tolerance in the Islamic world," Moore concluded. "But this week's events have taken those efforts to another plane, entirely."
"They are the fodder of history, examples of profound leadership in a turbulent time, and they deserve the commendation of the entire world. They also merit the notice of the Nobel Committee."
WAM/MOHD AAMIR
MENAFN0502201900610000ID1098076996
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.