Abu Dhabi: The Church of St. Paul, the second catholic church in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was blessed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State on the morning of June 12th.

The Cardinal was assisted by Archbishop Petar Rajic, the Apostolic Nuncio, Bishop Paul Hinder and Bishop Camillo Ballin, the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia in the mass of dedication. The service was attended by over 5,000 people.

Speaking during the occasion, Cardinal Parolin said: “The number of Christian faithul in the UAE is growing and even though they come from many national and ethnic groups, languages and cultures, yet they are brought together in unity by their Catholic faith.  Our lives are closely linked to people of other religions and we seek to promote peaceful co-existence of peoples as we endeavour to become a global fraternity of nations with the common goal of building human society upon the noble principles of justice, peace, prosperity and equality for all.”

The Cardinal said that beliefs we share with our Muslim brethren, of one God who has created the universe, the common purpose we have to strive towards holiness by leading good lives, in conformity with the teachings of our faith and by being upright and active members of society.