A group of around 160 Italian pilgrims visited St. Mary’s Church in Dubai and met with Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia. The pilgrimage was organized by the Italian magazine “Famiglia Cristiana” and included people from various cities.

Bishop Paolo presided over the Holy Mass on the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple, highlighting the universality of the faith.

“There is a new kind of familiarity, not based on flesh and blood but on faith—on welcoming the will of the Father. Saint Augustine reminds us that Mary fulfilled the Father’s will, and that ‘it means more for Mary to have been a disciple of Christ than to have been the mother of Christ.’ Her motherhood flows from her discipleship, from her fidelity to God’s will.”

The Bishop emphasized that the same reality is lived in the Vicariate, where people of many backgrounds come together and form fraternal relationships rooted “in the one Christ,” as expressed in Pope Leo’s motto: “In illo uno unum.”

After the Mass, Bishop Paolo met the pilgrims and offered an overview of the life and challenges of the Church in Southern Arabia. He spoke about the condition of being migrants; the importance of Christian formation and the integral human education offered by Catholic schools; and the organization of parish life.

He also highlighted the remarkable generosity of the faithful, shown not only in their participation in the liturgy but also in their willingness to share their talents in service to the Church. Many parishioners dedicate their free time to different ministries, support those most in need, and reach out to their brothers and sisters in faith.

Many pilgrims were deeply moved by Bishop Paolo’s testimony and, for the first time, encountered a dimension of the Church they had never imagined. The stop in Dubai was part of a wider itinerary that also included visits to the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, religious sites in Abu Dhabi, and major cultural and touristic landmarks in the UAE.