His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received today, Wednesday, at the Papal Residence in Cairo, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, along with his accompanying delegation.
His Holiness warmly welcomed the Crown Prince on his first visit to the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church and to Egypt, a country with strong ties to the UAE. He expressed appreciation for the UAE’s care for the Coptic Church’s members residing there.
H.H. Pope Tawadros gave an overview of the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church, which was founded in the first century by Saint Mark, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. He noted that Alexandria became the first city in Africa to accept the Christian faith.
His Holiness emphasized that the Coptic Church is a national church that serves the country but does not engage in politics. Instead, it focuses its efforts and service on society at large, notably through education, by establishing schools aimed at instilling and nurturing values of goodness, peace, and love.
He also highlighted the strong and positive relationship the Church maintains with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Egyptian government and parliament, Al-Azhar Institution, and the Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb. The Church, he said, builds its relationships on the foundation of love.
His Holiness praised the UAE’s approach to religious tolerance and cultural openness, which has enabled the Coptic Church there to flourish with the care and support of the Emirati state.
He also pointed out Egypt’s rich cultural heritage, shaped by the accumulation of numerous civilizations over the centuries.
For his part, the Crown Prince of Fujairah expressed his happiness at meeting Pope Tawadros, praising His Holiness’s humanitarian and spiritual role. He affirmed that this is the true mission of religion — to care for and support humanity.
His Highness referred to the historical stance taken by the Pope during Egypt’s 2013 crisis, which saw many churches burned, acknowledging His Holiness’s courage and leadership.
He emphasized the vital roles played by both the Coptic Church and Al-Azhar in upholding core human values. The principle of human fraternity, he added, is a tangible reality in the UAE, calling for further efforts to promote awareness of shared human values as a key tool in combating ignorance and extremism.
His Highness the Crown Prince congratulated His Holiness Pope Tawadros on the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, describing it as a major milestone in Christian history, in which churches of the Arab region played a significant role.
He reaffirmed the importance of multi-faceted efforts to raise awareness about others, uncover shared histories, and highlight the similarities among nations and religions, as a path toward mutual understanding and closer relationships between societies and peoples.
At the end of the meeting, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad wrote a message in the VIP guestbook, after which he and his delegation visited the St. Mark Cathedral. They were briefed on its history, components, and significant events, and also visited the Botroseya Church, which was bombed in 2016 and rebuilt by the Egyptian state in just two weeks.
Accompanying His Highness during the visit were H.E. Mohammed Ahmed Al Yamahi, President of the Arab Parliament; Dr. Ahmed Hamdan Al Zeyoudi, Director of the Crown Prince’s Office; and Mr. Hamdan Karam, Director of the Private Office of the Crown Prince of Fujairah.
Also attending the meeting were H.G. Bishop Yolios, General Bishop of Old Cairo and the Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical, and Social Services, and Supervisor of Gulf Churches; Fr. Mina Hanna, Vicar of the Gulf Churches; Monk Fr. Emmanuel Al-Muharraqy, Director of the Pope’s Office; Fr. Mousa Ibrahim, Spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church; Ms. Barbara Soliman, Director of the Papal Office for Projects and Relations; and Deacon Joseph Reda from the Pope’s Secretariat.
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