His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received at the papal residence in Cairo this evening Rev. Dr. Andre Zaki, Head of the evangelical community, heading a delegation from the evangelical Churches, to congratulate His Holiness on the glorious Christmas.
The delegation included, in addition to the head of the evangelical community, Rev. Dr. George Shaker, vice president of the community, heads and representatives of the sects of the Apostleship, Grace, Renaissance of Holiness and Baptist, the Evangelical Theological College, and the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services.
His Holiness expressed his welcome to the delegation of evangelical churches, and addressed three meanings of the inspiration of the birth of Christ:
The first meaning: simplicity (through the shepherds), indicating that the world is full of complications, and the Christian person must live in the spirit of simplicity,
“If your eyes are simple, your whole body will be bright” (Matthew 6:22), and simplicity here means purity of heart.
The second meaning: the gift, which is a human idea to express feelings of love and appreciation, as did the Magi.
The third meaning: hospitality, as the family of the Lord Christ did not find a place other than the manger, which became the most famous place of hospitality, and indeed the greatest place on earth, and the breath of the animals in it embraced them.
For his part, Reverend Andre Zaki expressed his thanks to His Holiness the Pope for the warm reception, and said: “We have all the love for your holiness, and we follow the great efforts you make and the positive impact of your holiness’s stances on all levels.”

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