All masses in Dubai have been cancelled because of the Middle East war, two Catholic churches in the United Arab Emirates posted on their websites on Friday, just ahead of Easter.
Following government directives, “all Masses at our Church are cancelled until further notice,” St Francis of Assisi Church at Jebel Ali in Dubai posted.
The Jebel Ali coastal area has been hit several times by missiles and drones fired by Iran at neighbouring Gulf states in retaliation for the Israeli-US offensive launched on February 28.
“Parishioners are requested to refrain from visiting the Church premises, in the interest of safety and community well-being,” the announcement added.
St Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai published a similar announcement on its website and said Good Friday’s mass would be live-streamed online instead, on the church’s YouTube channel.
Pope Leo XVI spoke on Friday with the presidents of Israel and Ukraine, discussing the ongoing wars and the need for peace.
The American-born pontiff spoke by telephone with Israel’s Isaac Herzog and, separately, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the humanitarian situation in each war zone was discussed, the Vatican said.
The pope and Herzog “reaffirmed the need to reopen all possible channels of diplomatic dialogue to bring an end to the serious ongoing conflict, with a view to achieving a just and lasting peace throughout the Middle East,” a statement said.
“The conversation also focused on the importance of protecting the civilian population and promoting respect for international and humanitarian law,” it added.
The calls happened as the pontiff was observing the Catholic Holy Week leading up to Easter on Sunday, and while Herzog was marking Jewish Passover into next week, and as Zelensky, a Jew, was preparing to see Ukraine celebrate Orthodox Easter, which this year falls on April 12.
A statement from Herzog’s office said the two exchanged greetings for Passover and Easter before discussing the Iran war “including the ongoing threat of missile attacks by the Iranian regime and its terror proxies against people of all faiths in the region.”
Regarding Lebanon, they discussed “the importance of the safety and security of Christian communities on both sides of the border”.
With Zelensky, Leo expressed his “best wishes for the Easter holidays” and both leaders discussed the “urgency of providing the necessary aid to the population suffering from the conflict.”
“Reference was also made to efforts aimed at promoting humanitarian initiatives, especially regarding the release of prisoners,” the Vatican said.
