PERSONAL ENCOUNTER When Pope walked down aisle, clasped my hand

It was never meant to be just another office trip. I was travelling with a head of state, the head of the Catholic Church, and the leader of one billion people.

- BY ALEX ABRAHAM Senior Associate Editor

In early January 2019, I was asked to cover the visit of Pope Francis to the UAE taking place in February. So I prepared myself as best I could — reading up on the Vatican and the Pope, getting ready with the paperwork and fielding questions from friends, to which I did not have answers.

Covering the visit meant going to the Vatican for a briefing, flying to the UAE on the papal plane, travelling with the entourage in Abu Dhabi, flying back to Rome, and then, of course, returning to work in Gulf News — all in the space of a few days.