This afternoon, H.H. Pope Tawadros II received an American delegation for Religion discussion, who are visiting Egypt for an interfaith dialogue trip affiliated with the American House of Worship Foundation, headed by Israa Nawar, Director of Development and Programs at Chapman University, and one of the pioneers of “Egypt Can”.
This is the second visit to Egypt, as this trip was in Egypt, in March 2018, in the presence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Immigration and Egyptians Abroad Affairs.
During the meeting, H.H. presented to the attendees an overview of the history of Egypt, its ancient civilization, and the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church, referring to three pillars of our Church, which are the orthodox education, the martyrs, and the monastic life that began with the Coptic Church, pointing to the role of monks in continuous prayer so that God preserves Egypt and the whole world.
His Holiness also referred to the good relationship with His Excellency the President, the government and the Grand Imam, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, as well as with all other Christian denominations, and that the Coptic Church is a member of the councils of churches in Egypt, the Middle East, all of Africa, and the World Council of Churches, saying : “We depend in our relations on love with all Egyptians, and that we live in Egypt in love and peace.” H.H.added, “All Egyptians today are working together to build the new republic that we see its signs in the new administrative capital”.
H.H. also called on the attendees to visit the Al-Fattah Al-Alim Mosque and the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in the Administrative Capital.

One of the attendees indicated that he sees the Coptic Church as the Church of Miracles and that the whole world is blessed by it. His Holiness
assured him that Egypt is the only country whose name and the name of the Egyptians are mentioned 700 times in the Bible. Egypt is a blessed country, and our Coptic Church has the largest number of martyrs and saints, so our Church is a Church of miracles.
While Ambassador Suha Gendi confirmed, the interfaith dialogue delegation was keen to meet His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, as H.H. is a religious symbol representing the Egyptian Church with its history, and a symbol of tolerance and love, expressing her thanks for receiving His Holiness to the delegation and answering everything, and clarifying the role of the Egyptian Church which is part of strong Egypt, which is emphasized by the political leadership in the new republic.
The Minister of Immigration appreciated His Holiness the Pope’s keenness to support the efforts of the Ministry of Immigration in many initiatives and events, and the keenness of Egyptian churches abroad to provide support to Egyptians during various crisis, without differentiation.
She stressed that Egypt is the land of faith, and everyone deals with appreciation and respect for the faith and rituals of the other, and that the nation plays the symphony of patriotism, and we all deal with love for this country.
At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Suha Gendy presented the Ministry’s shield to His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, in appreciation of his venerable stature and the cooperation efforts of the Egyptian Church for caring for Egyptians abroad. His Holiness also gifted his guests the icon of the Holy Family’s visit to Egypt.

This page is also available in: العربية