ABU DHABI - Pope Francis became the first pontiff to set foot on the Arabian Peninsula on Monday, as he received a pompous welcome in the United Arab Emirates, just after he slammed the bloody Yemen war they help to spearhead.
The Emirates have rolled out the welcome mat for Francis, who was greeted by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and his entourage on Monday. The pontiff arrived with a delegation of clerics and was presented a bouquet of flowers. The papal visit, a first of its kind to the Islam-dominated Arabian Peninsula, will continue on Tuesday with a much-awaited mess for about 135,000 Catholics. Top UAE officials and Muslim religious leaders are expected to attend it.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Francis said that he hopes to use an opportunity to write “a new page in the history of relations between religious.”
The visit is overshadowed by the Yemen war, in which the UAE plays a significant part. The brutal conflict has put the war-ravaged country on the brink of total devastation, with over 60,000 reported killed as result of the hostilities and further 85,000 perished due to famine, epidemics and lack of basic medical care.  (RT)