The UAE ambassador visited London to meet the Church leader at the London temple to understand the actual purpose of temples and get inspiration for building such temples in UAE as well.
UAE ambassador to the United Kingdom, H.E. Mansoor Abulhoul, was welcomed by Elder Anthony D. Perkins, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Middle East/Africa North Area, on the London temple grounds in Surrey, about 25 miles (40 kilometres) south of its namesake city.
UAE ambassador to the United Kingdom, H.E. Mansoor Abulhoul, tweeted on his official Twitter handle wording that “I had a wonderful visit to the London England Temple this week to hear about the ongoing Church’s work in the United Kingdom and the inspiring plans to build a new Temple in Dubai the first in the Middle East. I thank Elder Perkins and all the team for the excellent tour.”
Elder Perkins was bound by his wife, Christine Perkins, who provided the UAE’s ambassador with a personal tour of the temple grounds.
The leaders spent time at the Temple arrivals Center to give background on the significance of temples and ordinances to the Church and its members and a history of the London temple.
The UAE’s ambassador also provided an update on the Dubai United Arab Emirates Temple, announced by President Russell M. Nelson at the 2020 April general conference and is in the stages of planning and development.
The statement followed an invitation from the Dubai government to build the planned structure for Expo City Dubai but with no specific site or location identified.
Elder Perkins revealed that “Ambassador Abulhoul’s diplomacy and concentration on reaching the UAE’s goals concerning liberty to honour and religious approval will serve his nation well. The global community will surely recognise applying these high values.”