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January 17, 2019
Abu Dhabi
The UAE is abuzz with the excitement of Pope Francis’ visit to Abu Dhabi from February 3-5, 2019 and equally excited are little children, most of who will get a chance to see Pope Francis for the first time in their life at the Papal Mass on February 5 in Zayed Sports City.
In preparing these inquisitive young minds that are ever so full of questions on ‘who is Pope Francis?’ the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA) has released a book ‘Meet Pope Francis in the UAE’.
“We showed the book to a few children to see their reaction and they were super excited, to know that Pope Francis as a child was just like them and loves soccer even now. The book is designed with a sticker guide engaging the children in learning about Pope Francis and his journey to becoming a Pope,” said Fr. Gandolf Wild, Secretary to the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia (The UAE, Oman and Yemen), Bishop Paul Hinder.
There are over 25000 children in the UAE that attend Catechism classes or Sunday School as it is commonly known. The one hour lesson each weekend, which is on either Friday or Saturday in Church premises in the UAE, is taught by lay people known as Catechists. It helps in building and shaping the children’s catholic beliefs and faith.
“The book is being used to explain to children on the visit of Pope Francis to the UAE and its significance, spiritual value for our lives and our migrant church. The Catechists will discuss the role of the Pope, his ministry and why he travels for peace, living in harmony, in respect for others and for creation. Each child attending Catechism in the UAE parishes will receive a free copy of the book on the weekend of 18 January, 2019. Parishioners will also have a chance to get their copy for a nominal contribution of AED 5/-,” added Fr. Gandolf.
Catechists are expected to focus their weekly lesson on ‘Meet Pope Francis in UAE’ during class. A total of 50,000 copies of the book are printed, the book is a production of the Bayard subsidiary ‘Living in Faith’, which is published by Tranzmedia Netvision Private Limited, India’s leading web, media and publication company focused on Church resources.
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