Today at the Papal Residence in Cairo, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received His Eminence Metropolitan Abouna Youssef, Metropolitan of Bali, of the Ethiopian Orthodox Monotheistic Church, accompanied by some heads of Ethiopian monasteries and some deacons, and a number of monks and nuns who are currently visiting Egypt as part of a tour of its historical and religious landmarks.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Holiness welcomed the Metropolitan and his companions, pointing to the strong relationship between the Coptic and Ethiopian churches and the common history that unites them, as they use one church calendar, and that the Coptic Church celebrated the feast of Saint Takla Haimanot of Ethiopia a few days ago. His Holiness hinted at the need to preserve these relations and this common balance.

His Holiness spoke of his visit to Ethiopia at the invitation of His Holiness, Patriarch Abuna Matthias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church, in 2015, during which he visited many churches, dioceses and monasteries, and praised the love he received there, so that the Ethiopian people chanted in the presence of His Holiness: “Marmarks is our father, and Alexandria is safe.”

His Holiness expressed his wishes for the Ethiopian ecclesiastical delegation for an enjoyable visit to Egypt after they witness the beauty of its landmarks and the achievements that have been made, stressing that Egypt always opens its arms to all, and that the Coptic Church also cares for the children of the Ethiopian Church residing in Egypt and opens churches for them to pray there. His Holiness stressed the importance of constant communication and rapprochement between the two churches.

His Holiness referred to the arrival of His Holiness Patriarch “Abu Matias” to Egypt in 2015 and his visit to many places, and the welcome of His Holiness President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Egyptian Prime Minister.

His Holiness noted that the relations between Egypt and Ethiopia are close due to their belonging to the continent of Africa and that the Nile links them together, expressing his wishes that the negotiations of the Renaissance Dam go well. Regarding the importance of the Nile, His Holiness said: We here in Egypt consider the Nile to be our “father” and that the land around it is our “mother.” He added, “We pray for the waters of the Nile, and we even pray for the rain that falls in Ethiopia, as it brings goodness to many countries.”

He concluded: “We repeat our welcome to you in the name of the Holy Synod of our Church, and I wish you a good visit, during which you will receive the blessing of St. Mark and the blessing of all the saints who lived in Egypt.”

The head of the delegation, “Abuna Youssef”, gave a speech in which he said: I thank God who gave me the opportunity to come here and receive the blessing of your holiness and the blessing of the Coptic Church, and we in Ethiopia pray to you that God may strengthen you and give you a long life, and we ask for your prayers for everyone in Ethiopia. When Your Holiness visited Ethiopia, all the people loved you, and chanted in front of you, as you have mentioned now: “Marmark is our father, and Alexandria is our mother.” Our church is looking forward to seeing you again.

Some members of the delegation, including heads of monasteries and deacons, expressed their love for the Coptic Church and for His Holiness the Pope, and their happiness at the visit of His Holiness, and for the Coptic monasteries they visited and the hospitality they received in these monasteries.

His Eminence Bishop Biemen, Bishop of Naqada and Qus, and Coordinator of Relations between the Coptic and Ethiopian Churches, delivered a speech in which he stressed that the Coptic Church is keen to transfer monastic experiences, especially in the developmental fields.

The meeting was attended by His Grace Bishop Biemen, the Monk Fr. Kirolos St. Bishoy, director of the office of His Holiness the Pope, and Father Mousa Ibrahim, the official spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church.

It was also attended by Monk Fr. Angelos Al-Naqadi and Monk Fr. Philip Hilal, who were accompanying the Ethiopian delegation.

At the end of the meeting, His Holiness presented some souvenirs to the members of the guest delegation, which consisted of an icon of the Holy Family and a hand cross of the Coptic style. Regarding these gifts, His Holiness said: “You know that Egypt was visited by Jesus and the Holy Family, and the last stop of the visit at that time was in the Muharraq Monastery, so I will present You have the icon of the Holy Family and a Coptic cross made by the monks’ fathers, and we have a monastic tradition that the monk during his work prays, so this cross is made with prayers.”

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