His Holiness Pope Tawadros II expressed his joy over the success of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Conference, which was hosted in recent days by the Coptic Orthodox Church.

This came before His Holiness delivered his weekly Wednesday sermon this evening at the Church of St. Mina in Fom El-Khalig, part of the Old Cairo Churches sector.

His Holiness offered thanks to God for the successful completion of this conference, which was held for the first time in Egypt on the grounds of an Oriental Orthodox Church. He noted that many of the attendees were introduced to the Coptic Church for the first time during the conference and remarked on their positive impressions of the Church and of the youth who organized the event in an orderly, precise, and successful manner.

Pope Tawadros also spoke of his visit, along with a delegation of the WCC leadership, to His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who received them with exceptional warmth — an expression of great honor from the Egyptian state. His Excellency’s conversation with the delegation encompassed humanitarian, spiritual, national, and political dimensions. The delegation, for its part, congratulated the President on the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Agreement and the forthcoming opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, expressing their hope that peace would likewise prevail in Sudan.

His Holiness praised the President’s cordial and insightful discussion with the delegation, highlighting his remarks on the millions of Sudanese citizens residing in Egypt, whom Egypt regards as guests rather than refugees. The President also noted that about ten million foreigners of various nationalities live on Egyptian soil.

Pope Tawadros further pointed out that the conference had a significant impact on tourism and offered participants the opportunity to experience Egyptian culture in diverse ways. It also allowed them to learn about the origins, faith, doctrine, and rites of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Overall, he described the conference as highly successful — a blessed occasion marking seventeen centuries since the Council of Nicaea and honoring Saint Athanasius the Apostolic. We are proud to be his children in the Coptic Orthodox Church, steadfast in opinion, doctrine, and thought.

This page is also available in: العربية