Pope Francis makes first papal visit to Arab Gulf state

In a video address from the Vatican on Thursday, Francis said the trip marks “a new page in the history of relations between religions, confirming that we are brothers and sisters, even though we are different.” The overwhelming majority of Emiratis are Muslim, but the country hosts a large expatriate population, some 1.2 million of whom are Christian.

The majority of the UAE’s Christians are Indians and Filipinos.