Today (Monday), H.H. Pope Tawadros II met with delegations of the Churches of the Eastern Orthodox Family and the Oriental Orthodox Family, who are participating in the sixth conference of the World Council of Churches, currently being held at the LOGOS Center in Saint Bishoy’s Monastery, Wadi El-Natroun, hosted by the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Pope Tawadros welcomed the Church delegations, expressing his happiness for their visit to Egypt and their participation in the World Council of Churches’ conference. He then spoke to them about Egypt and its historical, geographical, and civilizational uniqueness, noting that Egyptians live together around the Nile River in a natural national unity, formed by what they have gained from the calm river.

He also spoke about the Coptic Orthodox Church, its deep-rooted history, the number of its congregation, the number of dioceses and monasteries within Egypt and abroad, as well as the social and educational services it offers to the community through hospitals, schools, and kindergartens established for this purpose.

His Holiness pointed to the Papal Library, describing it as the largest Coptic library, and stating that it encompasses numerous fields including arts, icons, and others.

After his address, many members of the delegations spoke, expressing their appreciation and gratitude for the hospitality of the Coptic Orthodox Church in hosting this significant event. They also expressed their deep thanks to His Holiness the Pope for his insightful vision in arranging the hosting of the conference. They showed their admiration for the LOGOS Center with its distinguished facilities and capabilities, for the monasteries of Wadi El-Natroun which carry the authentic Orthodox spirituality and the rich heritage of Coptic monasticism, and for their visit to the Pyramids of Giza during the tour they made yesterday.

His Holiness answered a question from one of the attendees regarding Christian unity, saying: “The first step towards Christian unity is Orthodox unity.”

He added: “Last year, here in this hall, there was a meeting between the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Churches, in which a number of bishops and scholars representing their Churches participated. I dream that the Orthodox patriarchs (from both families) will gather together here in Egypt, to present one Orthodox voice to the entire Christian world.”

He continued: “I believe that this is the foundation of Christian unity, because Christian unity can only be achieved through the unity of all the Orthodox Churches.”

Regarding the relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness said: “I would like to share with you something about our relationship with the Russian Church. In my view, it is an ideal relationship between two Churches. There is a cooperation committee between the two Churches that works on four levels: the monastic level, the priestly level, the social level, and the theological level. There are two visits from the Russian Church to Egypt every year, as well as two visits from the Coptic Church to the Russian Church. We are building our common understanding together.”

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