A central moment of Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle's visit to the UAE, was the celebration of Simbang Gabi, the traditional Filipino Masses in preparation for Christmas, celebrated in the UAE since 2001.

In Dubai, 30,000 people attended the Holy Mass on 16 December. In Abu Dhabi, 18,000 gathered the day after. “Though far from home, migrant faithful see the parish as their home away from home” he said.

The Cardinal emphasized that the Church in the Gulf, made up largely of migrants from India, the Philippines and other Asian countries, is both stable and missionary. “A Church on the move, on mission, is a vibrant and stable Church,” he said.

Reflecting on how to define this experience, the Cardinal proposed a name rooted in faith: “God is gracious. God saves. God is with us.”

Summing up the experience of the UAE, as well as Azerbaijan and Malaysia, Cardinal Tagle compared these communities to the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth and to the manger of Bethlehem, a “humble but powerful presence of God among the humble and the persecuted”, from which the Dicastery for Evangelization draws life and mission.