The Finnish President: “I commend you for your works of love, peace, and unity. Religions themselves do not contain extremism; rather, it is some of their followers who become extreme.”

H.H. the Pope: “We will continue to call for an end to wars and pray for their cessation, awaiting responses for the sake of people’s lives.”

H.H. the Pope: “I appeal to all nations to seek an alternative to war. Those who wage wars will one day face their end and stand before God—what will they say then? Undoubtedly, their position will be exceedingly difficult.”

Today (Wednesday), H.H. Pope Tawadros II received at the Papal Residence in Cairo, President Alexander Stubb of the Republic of Finland and his accompanying delegation, as part of his current official visit to Egypt.

Upon arrival, President Stubb wrote a message in the V.I.P. guestbook, after which he proceeded with His Holiness to the main reception hall, where the meeting began. At the outset, His Holiness welcomed his guest and the accompanying delegation on their visit to Egypt and to the Coptic Orthodox Church, noting that it is one of the oldest Churches in the world and a loyal, national Egyptian Church whose members live in harmony with the rest of the Egyptian people.

His Holiness referred to his visit to Finland in 2014, during which he met the former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, describing Finland as a beautiful country.

Pope Tawadros then spoke about Egypt, highlighting its distinctive historical, geographical, and demographic character, noting that it is a four-sided country bordered by seas on two sides and deserts on the other two, with the Nile River flowing through its center. Around it, Egyptians have lived, drawing from it a spirit of worship, and through their settlement along its banks, Egyptian national unity was formed, rooted in the depths of ancient civilization.

Regarding the Coptic Orthodox Church, His Holiness stated: “The Church was established in Alexandria in 68 AD by Saint Mark the Apostle, one of the disciples of the Lord Christ. Thus, Alexandria was the first city in Africa to receive the Christian faith, and it represents one of the five principal Christian centers: Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, Rome, and Constantinople.”

He added: “The Church serves Egyptian society through schools, hospitals, and other service projects. It maintains an active role and good relations with His Excellency the President, the government, the parliament, Islamic institutions, and Churches both within Egypt and abroad.”

His Holiness emphasized that the Church relies on the work of love in all its dealings, stressing that the world is in great need of love, and that conflicts and wars arise from its absence—despite love being a gift granted by God to humanity as a guiding principle for life.

For his part, the Finnish President expressed his gratitude to His Holiness for the warm reception, noting that he had previously visited Egypt in 2009. During his current visit, he observed significant development in Egypt, both in terms of infrastructure and new cities, adding that Finland has also seen considerable progress in recent years.

He praised His Holiness for his works of love, peace, and unity in Egypt, mentioning that he had met the Grand Imam, Dr Ahmed Al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar, and had witnessed firsthand the many initiatives carried out through the spirit of love. He noted that in Finland, all Christian denominations are keen to work together for the unity of society.

Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, President Stubb expressed hope that religious leaders in both countries would exert every possible effort to achieve peace.

He added: “Meetings among religious leaders everywhere help to reinforce peace and love, as Your Holiness has mentioned, because religions themselves do not contain extremism; rather, it is some followers who become extreme.”

Speaking about the ongoing wars around the world, His Holiness said: “The voice of wisdom has been absent, and the result is that victims number in the thousands. Although we here in Egypt are far from the wars, we deeply grieve for the victims.” Addressing the visiting President, he added: “You are certainly affected as well. As for religious leaders, we will continue to call for an end to wars, to pray for their cessation, and to advise, while awaiting responses for the sake of the lives of people.”

He concluded: “Peacemaking is known as the most difficult endeavor. In the Holy Bible, the Lord Christ says: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.’ I appeal to all nations to seek an alternative to war. Those who wage wars will one day face their end and stand before God—what will they say then? Undoubtedly, their position will be exceedingly difficult.”

This page is also available in: العربية