Media Release

Abu Dhabi, Feb 1: Mangalurean Beulah Ruth Pinto, winner of the ‘Best of the Best 2018 UAE’ will be one of the lead singers of GEMS choir on February 1 at the eve of UAE Peace Gathering as part of Papal visit celebrations. The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development of UAE will hold the event which will be live telecast around the world.

The UAE’s Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development will be in the forefront of the huge gathering for people of different faiths to come together and join hands in an event dubbed as the ‘UAE Peace Gathering’ to promote unity, tolerance and harmony amongst UAE’s residents.

Happening on February 1 at Abu Dhabi’s Umm Al Emarat Park from 6:30 pm onwards, the gathering will convey messages from Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, minister of Tolerance, and Bishop Paul Hinder, OFM CAP, the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia.

This will be followed by a series of song numbers as well as other performances that will culminate with a screening of Pope Francis’ ‘A Man of His Word’ as well as a collective performance of the community and the public to sing ‘Lean on Me’.

In an earlier interview with ARN News, minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Noura Al Kaabi spoke about the UAE Peace Gathering as an event that ‘will gather communities from the UAE, whether they’re Muslims or Christians to celebrate that (Papal) visit’. Al Kaabi said that not only does the visit highlight the common values that the UAE residents share, it also brings forth the inner sense of unity and harmony among its citizens, “At the end of the day, maybe we are differentiated by religion yet we have in common the values that we share in peace and harmony.”

The Papal visit marks first visit of a Pope to the MENA region. Themed ‘Make Me a Channel of Your Peace’, the visit is a positive response of the pontiff and the Vatican to the invitation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the armed forces of the UAE.