His Excellency Mr. Zoran Milanović, President of the Republic of Croatia, received today at the Presidential Office His Holiness Pope Tawadros II and the accompanying delegation, within the framework of His Holiness’ current visit to Croatia, which began last Saturday.

Prior to the meeting, His Holiness toured, alongside the Croatian President, a special exhibition titled “Coptic Artifacts in Salona: From the Fifth to the Seventh Centuries.” The exhibition was specially prepared by the Office of the President and the Archaeological Museum in Split in honor of His Holiness’ visit.

President Milanović welcomed His Holiness and expressed his happiness at meeting him and at his visit to Croatia. He stressed the importance of dialogue and cooperation among Christian denominations and praised the “Day of Friendship” between the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches, celebrated annually on May 10.

The President also commended the friendly relations between Croatia and Egypt and discussed the situation of the Coptic community in Croatia.

For his part, His Holiness expressed his appreciation for the warm reception he received since arriving in Croatia, praising the Croatian state’s care for members of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He then spoke about the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church as one of the oldest churches in the world and home to one of the Apostolic Sees, the See of Saint Mark, noting that it is a national church by virtue of being an authentically Egyptian Church.

His Holiness also spoke about the strong relationship between the Church and all institutions of the Egyptian state, as well as the remarkable progress in the conditions of Egyptian Christians during the era of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi compared to previous periods. He referred to the issuance of a law regulating the construction of churches and the strengthening of the principles of citizenship, citing the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, the largest cathedral in the Middle East.

The meeting was attended by Egypt’s Ambassador to Croatia, Rania El Banna, and the First Secretary of the Egyptian Embassy, Essam El Din Mahmoud Aboul Fadl Badran.

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