Important historical milestones in the late Pope's visits to Arab countries

Before his death on April 21, 2025, Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, made historic visits to several Arab countries, championing peace, interfaith dialogue, and unity. From praying at the wall in Bethlehem to signing the Document on Human Fraternity in the UAE and meeting with top Islamic leaders, his unprecedented outreach symbolised a global call for coexistence. His legacy now stands as a powerful reminder of faith used to bridge divides across religions and nations. 

Since taking office in 2013, Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, has visited several Arab countries, bringing messages of peace, understanding, and love. During these visits, the late Pope emphasised the importance of dialogue and signed the historic Document on Human Fraternity in the UAE. He also visited Bethlehem, celebrated Mass at the Church of the Nativity, and met with the Grand Imam of Al- Azhar in Egypt.

Pope Francis began his journey of visits to Arab countries in Jordan in 2014, where he met with King Abdullah II and accompanied him on a tour of the Baptism Site on the Jordan River. He also prayed on its banks.

Pope Francis then moved from Jordan to occupied Palestine, visiting Bethlehem from Jordan. He became the first pope to travel directly to the West Bank instead of entering through Israel. He prayed at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He also stopped at the wall between Bethlehem and Israel. He performed prayers there—a symbolic gesture of peace and a rejection of division. Pope Francis then travelled to Tel Aviv, Israel's capital, and Jerusalem.

In 2017, Pope Francis visited Egypt at the invitation of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb. He participated in the World Peace Conference and met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This visit was part of promoting interfaith dialogue. It was the first since Pope John Paul II visited Egypt in 2000 to strengthen relations between the Catholic Church and Orthodox Christians in Egypt and promote interfaith dialogue.

During his visit to Egypt, the Pope was keen to repeat the phrase "Religion belongs to God and the homeland belongs to all" in Arabic, and described Egypt as a land of encounter between heaven and earth and covenants between people and believers.

Pope Francis delivered a speech during his participation in the Al-Azhar International Peace Conference. As part of his commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, in accordance with the Vatican's stated objectives for the Pope's visit, he said that Egypt has left an impact on the world since ancient times.

On the second day of his visit, Pope Francis led a mass at the Air Defense Stadium in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Thousands attended the mass, which was held in Arabic and Latin. During the mass, the Pope called for confronting religious intolerance.

The late Pope's visit to the UAE carried significant historical and humanitarian symbolism in the context of his visits to Arab countries. Pope Francis visited Abu Dhabi in 2019, where he also met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and signed the Document on Human Fraternity, a joint declaration urging peace among peoples worldwide.

In the same year, Pope Francis arrived in Morocco on an official visit at the invitation of King Mohammed VI. The visit focused on interfaith dialogue and migrant issues. This visit was exceptional, coming nearly 34 years after Pope John Paul II's visit to the Kingdom in the summer of 1985.

Pope Francis returned to Arab countries in 2021, visiting Iraq on his first trip outside the Vatican since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first visit in history by a pontiff to Iraq, and coincided with a security escalation following a series of missile attacks targeting the Ain al-Asad military base hosting US forces. Pope Francis met with Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Pope Francis's last visit to Arab countries was to Bahrain in 2022, and it was also the first by a pontiff. During the visit, he emphasised the importance of Islamic-Christian dialogue.

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