Filipinos are still ecstatic about the recent visit of the Pope to the UAE which marks a first for any Pope to have visited the MENA region. And since the Pontiff’s departure, Filipinos have continued to express their words of gratitude for the Pope.
Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana thanks the Pope for ‘reinvigorating’ the Catholic Faithful as his presence was really felt not only within the UAE, but across all borders. “We once again express our gratitude to UAE for the invitation extended to Pope Francis to visit the country, and for the excellent preparations that they have done. Let us follow the message of peace shared both by Pope Francis and help the UAE spread the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence by being examples of these noble values in our everyday lives,” said Quintana.
Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes of the Philippine Consulate of the Dubai and Northern Emirates said that the visit exhibits the UAE’s sincere desire on promoting the values of respect, unity, and mutual cooperation. “Even if the UAE is a predominantly Islamic state, the first-ever visit of the leader of the Catholic church in the Middle East is something that us Catholics here have always dreamed of. We’d like to thank the host government for showing the rest of the world what religious understanding truly means. Nabuhayan ang spirit, lalong tumindi ang faith and the tradition of respecting each other despite differences in faith and culture,” said Cortes.
Meantime, Dr. Karen Remo, Managing Director of New Perspective Media, the publisher of The Filipino Times, said that the Papal Visit here in the UAE highlights the country as a venue for peaceful coexistence of more than 200 nationalities as well as the role it plays in showing the world that a country can foster tolerance, respect, and harmony. “The Filipino community in the UAE lauds this historic visit of Pope Francis that coincides with the declaration of 2019 as ‘The Year of Tolerance’ in the UAE, which clearly reflects the goals of the UAE to spread unity amidst diversity, The appreciation and love that Filipino residents feel for the UAE and its wise leadership are manifested by the way they see and call it as their home for many years, even decades,” said Dr. Remo.
