Abu Dhabi CP attends funeral of Pope Francis in Rome

Dignitaries at the funeral
Accompanying His Highness Sheikh Khaled at the funeral were Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence; Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Crown Prince’s Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court; and Maryam Eid AlMheiri, Chairperson of the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

Funeral procession and burial
The funeral procession commenced at Saint Peter's Square, with the burial taking place at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. Heads of state, world leaders, and dignitaries from across the globe were present.

UAE sends condolences to Vatican
His Highness Sheikh Khaled conveyed condolences from His Highness the UAE President to Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, and Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals at the Vatican. He expressed sincere sympathies to the College of Cardinals, the Holy See, and the global Catholic community on the passing of Pope Francis.

Legacy of Pope Francis
His Highness Sheikh Khaled praised Pope Francis as a symbol of human fraternity, cultural coexistence, and interfaith dialogue. He emphasised that the late Pope’s humanitarian legacy would continue to inspire future generations to uphold values of tolerance and mutual understanding.

Pope’s visit to UAE and human fraternity document
Pope Francis had a distinguished legacy of promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue. His historic visit to the UAE in 2019, the first by a Pope to the region, culminated in the signing of the Human Fraternity Document with His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Professor Ahmed Al-Tayeb. This document, which was later adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, serves as a global charter for peace and human coexistence, and 4 February was designated as the International Day of Human Fraternity.