The sun had set long before Pope Francis arrived in Abu Dhabi on February 3, but Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince, and Egyptian Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, still went to the airport to welcome him.
It had been a rare rainy day on the southeast coast of the Arabian peninsula, which, the Pope told reporters traveling with him, was seen as a sign of blessing by the people of the United Arab Emirates.
Since the Pope arrived at almost 10pm local time, the official welcoming ceremony was scheduled for the next day. But there was a brief greeting inside the President's Airport.
