Relationship dossier
Vatican City
United Arab Emirates
Relationship assessment
Diplomatic ties and a prominent interfaith partnership, highlighted by Pope Francis’s 2019 visit to the UAE.
Vatican City toward United Arab Emirates
+45The Holy See has pursued interfaith engagement with the UAE. Pope Francis visited the country in 2019 and signed the Document on Human Fraternity with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, a major initiative undertaken during the visit.
United Arab Emirates toward Vatican City
+50The UAE hosted Pope Francis’s 2019 visit and supported the interfaith initiative culminating in the Document on Human Fraternity. The government also permits Catholic institutions and public worship in the country.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship combines diplomatic ties dating from 2007 with concrete cooperation on interfaith engagement. The 2019 papal visit and Document on Human Fraternity are prominent expressions of that partnership, while the presence of Catholic institutions in the UAE adds a continuing practical dimension.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Holy See and the United Arab Emirates have maintained diplomatic relations since 2007 and developed a notable interfaith partnership. Pope Francis visited the UAE in 2019 and signed the Document on Human Fraternity with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar during the visit. The UAE has hosted Catholic institutions and enabled public religious worship, providing a practical dimension to the relationship.
Key developments
The Holy See and the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic relations.
Pope Francis visited the UAE and signed the Document on Human Fraternity with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral arrangements beyond interfaith initiatives are unclear.
- Details of ongoing government coordination concerning Catholic communities are limited.