- Pope Francis heads to the UAE Sunday for the first ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, birthplace of Islam, where he will hold an open-air mass for tens of thousands of Catholics.
The pontiff will take part in an interreligious conference on Monday, meeting Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's prestigious seat of learning.
Hours before he flies back to Rome on Tuesday, he will lead an open-air mass -- set to be the largest gathering ever in the UAE, according to local media.
The pope boarded a flight Sunday afternoon from Rome's Fiumicino airport and is set to arrive in Abu Dhabi at 10 PM (1800 GMT).
His visit comes with the UAE engaged in a long-running military campaign in Yemen and embroiled in a diplomatic spat with nearby Qatar.
Before heading to the Gulf, the pontiff urged warring parties in Yemen, where the UAE backs the government against Huthi rebels, to respect a truce agreement.
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"I appeal to all parties concerned and to the international community to allow the urgent respect of established accords to ensure the distribution of food," he said.
"The population is exhausted by the lengthy conflict and a great many children are suffering from hunger, but cannot access food depots, he added.
"The cry of these children and their parents rises up to God."