His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received at the Papal Residence in Cairo today, Sunday, Mr. Margaritis Schinas H.E. Mr. Margaritas Schinas, Vice-President of the Commission of the European Union, Mr. Christian Berger, Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt and their accompanying delegation.
H.H. welcomed the guests and gave them an overview of the history of Egypt and the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Mr. Margaritis Schinas praised Egypt’s role and that it is an essential partner for the European Union, then asked His Holiness about freedom of religion and the situation of Christians in Egypt.
His Holiness spoke about the entry of Christianity into the land of Egypt in the first century AD, by Saint Mark, who became the first patriarch in the Coptic Orthodox Church that extended over the centuries until (His Holiness Pope Tawadros), Patriarch number 118. His Holiness indicated that the Coptic Church is the oldest church in the Middle East, and that Alexandria was the first city in Africa to accept the Christian faith.
H.H. added, “We are a strong church in the Middle East, and we have a good relationship with other churches and with all corners of the Egyptian state. In addition to our spiritual role, the church also has a social role, which is why I established the Papal Office for Projects ten years ago to serve the Egyptian community, and it provides its services in the fields of education, health, empowerment of women and youth through small projects, and also provides humanitarian aid.
Mr. Margarets asked about the security situation of the Church and about the attacks that occurred in previous periods, and H.H. answered: “The protection of churches is the responsibility of the state, which it carries out efficiently, but the attacks that occurred before were aimed at breaking our national unity, and on the part of the state, it works to achieve the principle of equality, as we now have a law regulating the construction of churches, and filling senior positions has become a criterion of competence, which has given the opportunity for Christians to assume these positions, as there are, for example, two Christian governors.”
At the end of the meeting, His Holiness presented them with a souvenir, which is a book about the Holy Family’s journey to Egypt, in English.
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