Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Worldwide leader of the Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Francis, touched down in Abu Dhabi for a three-day trip to strengthen interfaith dialogue and understanding in support of peace. Etihad Airways, as the UAE’s national airline, is celebrating this first ever papal visit to the Arabian Gulf with festivities in its offices and on board its flights in recognition of the UAE’s Year of Tolerance.
The UAE is hosting the pontiff in a visit that
recognises Abu Dhabi as a multi-cultural, multi-faith global capital. On
Tuesday 5 February, Pope Francis will deliver a papal mass to an expected congregation
of 120,000 people at Zayed Sports City.
The papal mass will also be available to watch on
board Etihad Airways aircraft through a live broadcast of this historic event on
inflight entertainment screens and at the airline’s lounges worldwide. The live
screening will also be available for Etihad employees to enjoy in selected
locations throughout the company’s offices.
In recognition of the significance of this event,
Etihad Aviation Group employees with confirmed tickets for the mass will be
given the day off in order to attend, subject to operational requirements.
At the end of his visit, Etihad Airways is honoured
to be flying the pontiff back to Rome’s Ciampino Airport on an Etihad Boeing
787 Dreamliner.
Etihad Aviation Group is home to more than 150
nationalities across its 23,000-strong workforce and the Pope’s visit is the
perfect opportunity to celebrate the diversity and spirit of co-operation
witnessed throughout the company.
His Holiness Pope Francis and His
Eminence Dr Ahmad At-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif will attend the
Human Fraternity Conference, a global inter-faith gathering in the UAE capital
aimed at bringing together faiths and cultures with an aim to foster tolerance
and inter-faith dialogue.