Pope departs for the UAE, the first papal visit to the Arabian peninsula

Pope Francis left Rome on Sunday to travel to the United Arab Emirates, just hours after issuing his strongest condemnation yet of the war in Yemen, where his host the UAE has a leading military role.

The Argentinean pontiff will spend less than 48 hours in the UAE, a country that joined the Saudi-led coalition battling the Iran-aligned Houthi group to restore the internationally recognized government in the nearly four-year war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

After his Angelus prayer just before the departure, Francis said he was following the urgent humanitarian crisis in Yemen with great worry and urged all sides to implement a fragile peace deal and help deliver aid to millions of hungry people.

Vatican officials have said it is not clear whether Francis, who has already visited half a dozen predominantly Muslim nations, will address the sensitive subject in public or private during the visit to Abu Dhabi, aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue.

Although short, the Feb. 3-5 visit to the peninsula, home to two million expatriate Catholics as well as the holiest sites of Islam in Saudi Arabia, is a landmark one. The freedom to practice Christianity - or any religion other than Islam - varies across Gulf countries.

All Gulf countries apart from Saudi Arabia allow Christian worship in churches or church compounds and other premises with special licenses. In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims pray in secret gatherings in private homes and embassies.

The pontiff will meet with Muslim leaders and celebrate an outdoor mass for some 120,000 Catholics. He will also meet privately with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who invited him.