Catholic migrants in the UAE abuzz ahead of pope's visit

Like millions of his compatriots, Filipino migrant Ray Erwin adores Pope Francis. This weekend, he is counting down the hours to a historic papal mass in Abu Dhabi.

"We are very grateful," he told AFP. "It's a chance of a lifetime."

Erwin, 44, will be among 135,000 worshippers expected to gather on Tuesday when "Lolo Kiko" (Grandpa Francisco), as the pontiff is affectionately known in the Philippines, holds a vast open-air mass in the Muslim-majority Arabian Peninsula.

The pope's three-day trip, which starts Sunday, is the first ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula -- the birthplace of Islam.

While Muslims make up nearly four fifths of the UAE's population, the country is also home to nearly a million Catholics, according to the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.

Most are from India or the Philippines -- like Erwin, who has a wife and two daughters and has lived there for 20 years.

Migrants from Asian countries make up about 65 per cent of the population.

Decked out with ...