At a time when religious beliefs seem to be dividing people and causing pain and destruction to the world, it is always refreshing to see people of different faiths helping each other out.
A Roman Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates, a predominantly Muslim country, recently fed hundreds of believers of Islam to celebrate one of their significant holidays.
At the St. Michael's Catholic Church in Sharjah emirate, some 500 Muslim labourers and other guests ate their "iftar," or the celebratory meal eaten by the Islamic faithful after sunset during Ramadan. This was the first time ever that the Church hosted such a meal in its decades-long history.
Speaking to Radio Vatican, parish priest Father Varghese Chempoly said his Church decided to host the celebratory meal for their Muslim brothers and sisters as an act of unity, and to respond to the Pope's call for compassion to others.
"We wanted to show the spirit of unity and brotherhood practised in the UAE. Our prayer is to protect this country and guide its leaders. We also took the iftar initiative in line with the declaration of Pope Francis of 2016 as the Year of Mercy," Chempoly explained.
He added that the parishioners were also inspired by some of the parish youth who reach out to the poor every Ramadan.
Aside from feeding Muslim faithful inside their parish church, the parishioners also distributed dates and water bottles near traffic signals to be one in the celebration of the end of Ramadan.
"We're so happy to welcome our Muslim brethren for iftar. For most of the workers, who came from different labour accommodations, it was their first time in a church," Chempoly said.
The Roman Catholic Church's good gesture did not go unnoticed. Abdul Razak, 25, a welder from India, appreciated the hospitality shown by parishioners from St. Michael's Catholic Church.
"It is doubly a new experience for me as I've never been to a church before and never had iftar as a guest of another faith. I'm so honoured to be here today and their hospitality is lovely," he also told Vatican Radio.
