5 February

Pope Francis has become the first pontiff to visit the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.

The Pope is on a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates. On Monday he met with local religious leaders.

The Pope called for ending the civil wars in Middle Eastern countries, including Yemen and Syria.

He said violence cannot be justified in the name of religion, and that all religious leaders have a duty to reject every nuance of approval from the word war.

He stressed the need for dialogue between different religions and sects, saying there will be no future without cooperation.

Nearly one million Christians are believed to be living in the United Arab Emirates, a predominantly Muslim country. They include migrant workers from the Philippines and other countries.

The Pope apparently wants to use his first visit to the peninsula to work more closely with Muslims, thereby improving the conditions of Christians in the Middle East.

He is scheduled to hold a large mass on Tuesday, with about 130,000 people expected to attend.

NHK