UAE to build church, mosque named after Saint Francis and Grand Imam

A new church and mosque will be constructed in Abu Dhabi in honour of the historic UAE visit of Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif, Dr. Ahmad Al Tayyeb.

This was announced at the end of an inter-religious meeting in the capital on Monday.

The new places of worship will be named the 'Church of Saint Francis' and the 'Mosque of Grand Imam Ahmad Al Tayyeb'.

The foundation stones for the projects were signed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, in the presence of Pope Francis and the Grand Imam.

Mohammed bin Rashid and I have signed the foundation stone for construction of a new ‘Church of Saint Francis’ and ‘Mosque of Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb’ in Abu Dhabi. They will serve as beacons to uphold the values ​​of tolerance, moral integrity and human fraternity in the UAE. pic.twitter.com/ktrmpiZTBg