The Fourteenth Meeting of the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East; Their Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Mark, Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and the Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church and Catholicos Aram I, Armenian Orthodox Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia was concluded this evening at the Papal Residence in Cairo.

During the meeting, several files of common interest were discussed, most notably the topic of Christian presence in the Middle East, relations between Church families, and the ecumenical councils.

At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was issued containing what was agreed upon between the three Orthodox Churches.

In this concluding statement, the heads of the three Churches congratulated His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on his re-election for a new presidential term.

While the statement expressed deep concern about the conflicts and tensions that the world is witnessing in various regions, especially the Middle East, it also expressed that the Churches join peace lovers in their condemnation of violence in all its forms, calling on the international community to take appropriate action to immediately end the aggression against Gaza, and to begin meaningful and credible negotiations to reach a lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The statement added: “Only complete justice can ensure the restoration of comprehensive, true and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

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