pope francis pleads for holy peace during egypt visit
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

During Egypt visit

Pope Francis pleads for 'holy' peace during Egypt visit

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today Pope Francis pleads for 'holy' peace during Egypt visit

Pope Francis and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi chat with officials after meeting in Cairo
Cairo - Arab Today

Pope Francis pleaded for peace in a visit to Egypt on Friday as he attended a service in solidarity with the embattled Coptic minority at a church bombed by the Islamic State group.

The pontiff walked to the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church in Cairo in a procession led by standard-bearing clergy, after meeting Coptic Pope Tawadros II at his headquarters.

Security forces in the capital were on high alert under a state of emergency following a series of church bombings claimed by IS.

On April 9, the jihadists bombed two churches in the Arab world's most populous country, killing 45 people in the deadliest attack on Copts in recent memory.

Last December, the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church was itself targeted by a suicide bomber in an attack that killed 29 people.

Francis had earlier met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of the Al-Azhar institution, one of Muslim world's leading authorities, to push for dialogue between the two faiths.

In a speech to a Muslim-Christian conference, the 80-year-old pontiff denounced violence and populism.

"Peace alone... is holy and no act of violence can be perpetrated in the name of God, for it would profane his name," Francis said.

He criticised what he called "demagogic forms of populism... on the rise", saying they were unhelpful to peace.

Francis shuttled from one engagement to another in a closed car under heavy guard on the first day of his tightly scheduled 27-hour trip.

- 'Innocent blood' -

Police and soldiers stood guard outside the Vatican residence in Cairo and armoured cars were stationed outside the Coptic Orthodox Saint Mark's Cathedral, where Tawadros II's headquarters are located.

Francis met the Coptic pope at his offices where the two exchanged gifts.

"Our church and nation has been through a painful experience in the past few months when the sinful hand of terrorism reached out to murder praying innocents," Tawadros said in a speech at the meeting.

"Their innocent blood unites us," Francis said in turn.

They signed an ecumenical agreement to no longer require Catholics to be rebaptised if they choose to become Orthodox, as often happens in Egypt.

He and Tawadros then walked in procession to the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church, where they sat near the altar as a choir sang hymns to clashing cymbals.

In another speech with Sisi in the audience, Francis expressed support for Egypt's military campaign against IS which bombed the churches and has also killed hundreds of police and troops.Hours before the church visit, Francis became the first Roman Catholic pope to visit the head of Al-Azhar in his Cairo headquarters, sealing a recent improvement in relations between Catholicism and Islam.

But he also insisted on "unconditional respect for inalienable human rights such as equality among all citizens, religious freedom and freedom of expression".

Sisi has faced heavy criticism from rights groups for abuses since he led the military ouster of his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

 

- 'Pilgrim of peace' -

 

Before disembarking from his aircraft in Cairo, Francis had told reporters his visit was a "journey of unity and fraternity. Less than two days but very intense."

His meeting with Tayeb, he said, would "be an example and a model for peace precisely because it will be a meeting of dialogue".

"Please pray for my journey tomorrow as a pilgrim of peace to Egypt," Francis tweeted on the eve of his departure.

Before his visit, some roads had been festooned with posters showing Francis against the backdrop of the Pyramids, with a message that read: "Pope of peace in the Egypt of peace."

John Paul II was the last pope to have visited Egypt in 2000, with his arrival also coming weeks after anti-Christian violence that killed about 20 Copts in January that year.

Vatican dialogue with the Muslim world, a priority for this pope, was set back significantly when Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI made a speech in 2006 in which he was seen as linking Islam to violence.

The now-retired German pontiff's 2011 comments condemning an attack on a Coptic church prompted Al-Azhar to denounce Benedict for meddling in Egypt's affairs.

On Saturday, the pontiff will preside over a mass for the country's small Catholic community, estimated to number around 272,000 spread across various rites.

Egypt's Copts, who make up about 10 percent of the country's population of 92 million, are the Middle East's largest Christian minority and one of the oldest.

But they have suffered attacks throughout the years and many complain that they feel like second-class citizens.

 Source: AFP

 

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

pope francis pleads for holy peace during egypt visit pope francis pleads for holy peace during egypt visit



GMT 05:52 2014 Tuesday ,27 May

ORLY to launch Rich Renewal skincare collection

GMT 12:18 2012 Saturday ,28 January

High school STEM students’ invention awarded patent

GMT 10:29 2017 Wednesday ,22 February

7 m Yemenis close to starvation

GMT 23:59 2014 Wednesday ,29 January

Benefits of having a pet

GMT 19:08 2014 Wednesday ,19 February

River Island to launch RI Cycle for SS14

GMT 12:14 2017 Wednesday ,19 April

MR PORTER launches Capsule Collections

GMT 09:32 2011 Friday ,17 June

China to increase coastal forces

GMT 14:47 2014 Monday ,12 May

How to increase metabolism effectively

GMT 12:36 2017 Thursday ,09 February

Brisk demand for Pyeongchang Winter Olympics tickets

GMT 13:12 2017 Friday ,29 September

President Sisi has busy schedule last week

GMT 07:40 2017 Friday ,23 June

Zamalek’s chairperson says

GMT 10:27 2017 Monday ,16 October

Sexy Apple launches and appoints PR

GMT 13:12 2017 Wednesday ,10 May

McIlroy and Garcia

GMT 08:52 2012 Sunday ,19 August

Wael Kfoury\'s new album release

GMT 18:42 2014 Monday ,17 February

How to make losing weight easy and fun

GMT 10:41 2017 Saturday ,11 March

Brazilians flock to withdraw stimulus plan cash

GMT 08:53 2017 Thursday ,07 December

US President Trump recognises Jerusalem

GMT 13:04 2015 Wednesday ,30 September

Malian Islamist faces war crimes judge

GMT 03:23 2017 Monday ,13 February

Saud bin Saqr watches documentary on Ras al-Khaimah

GMT 20:26 2015 Sunday ,23 August

'Straight Outta Compton' outguns box office rivals
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday