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UAE: Christians mourn 'Pope for the masses' as special prayers held for late pontiff
While the official Catholic church is not holding a designated mass for the Pope as it coincides with Easter celebrations, a special prayer has been dedicated to him during the evening mass
- PUBLISHED: Mon 21 Apr 2025, 8:33 PM
Volunteers and worshippers started flocking to St Jospeh’s Church in Abu Dhabi on Monday afternoon to pay tribute to Pope Francis after hearing the news of his death this morning.
While the official Catholic church is not holding a designated mass for the Pope as it coincides with Easter celebrations, a special prayer has been dedicated to him during the evening mass. ‘Happy Easter and condolences’ was the common greeting among churchgoers throughout the afternoon.
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Volunteers and church staff were busy setting up a stand with Pope Francis’ photo in the centre of the church’s courtyard opposite the entrance at around 4.30pm.
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Anna Joy, who has been volunteering at the cathedral since she was a child, carefully placed black, white and gold intertwined fishnet fabric around the Pope’s portrait. “Those are funeral colours,” she explained.
The 18-year-old student was already in church when she learned the news about Pope Francis' passing. “I immediately approached Father Abishai, who is in charge of the liturgical services to ask what I could help with,” said the Indian expat. She was assisted by Dias, another volunteer, who said she rushed to St Joseph’s after she heard the news at around 11.30am.
“I immediately came and tried to fix preparations here and there,” said the Filipina resident, who’s been following the church’s developments since she moved to Abu Dhabi 30 years ago.
They still needed to set up a similar stand inside the chapel where the service will take place. “We need to finish everything before 6pm,” said Nadeem LalBhatti, a crista at the church. He had personally served Pope Francis when he visited the church in 2019 as part of his official visit to the Capital, and therefore carried a fond memory of him.
“I even have a photo with him on my phone,” he said as he rushed to set up the Pope’s second stand and prepare for the mass. “I am helping Bishop Paolo during the entire service and preparing the alter and sanctuary area.”
“I heard the news a few hours ago and came as soon as I could,” said Andrea Moussa sadly after praying. “We will of course keep him in our prayers,” added the Lebanese expat.
“We learned the news from Facebook and came to light a candle for him,” said Jun Billones and his wife Genecyl Buiquil. They both attended the public mass carried by the Pope at Zayed Sports City during his last visit, “but didn’t get a chance to see him up close".
“I liked that he didn’t wear gold and avoided a blingy style. He was simple and looked like a pope for the masses, he was reachable not (restricted) in a pedestal,” said the 46-year-old sales specialist from the Philippines.
