Counsellor Yousef Saeed Al Abri, Under-Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, has received a delegation which includes the representatives of the Catholic, Anglican and Coptic churches in Abu Dhabi, at his office.

The meeting was part of the department's efforts to open the communication channels with various religious ethnic groups in the emirate, based on the strategic priority of the Judicial Department to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the judicial processes, ensure universal access to services for all segments of the society, achieve a fair justice system, and establish a culture of tolerance and acceptance.

The delegation included Pastor Luke of the Catholic Church in the UAE and Oman, Bishop Bishoy of St Antony Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Abu Dhabi and Joseph Faragalla, Pastor at the Arabic Evangelical Church in Abu Dhabi.

During the meeting, attended by Salah Khamis Al Junaibi, Director of Institutional Communication and International Co-operation at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Al Abri said that the Department was working to implement the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, as well as the Chairman of the Department, to meet the real needs of every section of the society in Abu Dhabi, from judicial services to institutional mechanisms, to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals, and the privacy of their various beliefs under the umbrella of the rule of law.

The representatives of the Abu Dhabi churches’ delegation said that in this regard, the provision of quality services to non-Muslims would fall within the natural framework of the society of the emirate, which enjoys the spirit of tolerance and the ability to live together under one roof, with respect for the law and human rights principles.

The delegation also hailed the UAE’s wise leadership, which was able to establish a successful society that is based on justice and the rule of law.