Pope Francis receives Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of State for Tolerance

VATICAN, 2nd June, 2016 (WAM) – His Holiness Pope Francis, the Supreme Head of the Catholic Church, received at the Vatican last Sunday the UAE delegation headed by Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance. The UAE minister delivered to the Pope an invitation from President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit the UAE. The invitation emphasised religious tolerance and shared values of humanity that bind all peoples to live in peace, co-operation and harmony. She said the invitation would further promote the culture of dialogue, with a theme that all are bound by tolerance, co-existence and respect for values. Sheikha Lubna referred to the vital role of the UAE government, led by Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to establish tolerance and friendship, co-operation and love. She noted that the government took all practical initiatives that made the UAE an incubator for peace, and the cradle of dialogue, understanding, co-existence and harmony. "This is demonstrated by the co-existence of more than 200 nationalities in the UAE in security, peace and prosperity." The UAE minister cited the interest and keenness of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on the embodiment of tolerance and dialogue through global initiatives launched by the UAE in service to humanity, such as the Hedayah Excellence Centre, a premier international centre for expertise and experience to counter violent extremism by promoting understanding, and other initiatives. She expressed her satisfaction at the recent visit by Sheikh Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb to the Vatican last May in his capacity as Sheikh of Al Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders. During the visit, Al-Azhar and the Vatican discussed formation of joint committees and activating the role of an interfaith dialogue centre. The UAE minister and her accompanying delegation attended the global citizenship programme supported by the Pope, and organised the UAE's GEMS Education (Global Education Management System), with the participation of more than 200 students from private schools in the Emirate of Dubai. The UAE delegation included Dr. Hessa Abdullah Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the Spain and non-resident Ambassador to Vatican City State, Dr. Farouk Hamada, the religious advisor at the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Court, Andrew Thompson, Chaplain of Evangelical Church in Abu Dhabi, and Yousef Al-Nuaimi of the Minister of State for Tolerance's office. - Emirates News Agency, WAM - http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395296214593.html