On Thursday, 28 July, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met with the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark Pope Tawadros II and members of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo.

According to a statement released by the Office of the Presidency, President El Sisi “stressed the need for state efforts to go in parallel with societal efforts to assert the core national character and solidarity among all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians, which have always been a source of strength and pride of Egypt’s moderate, tolerant and rich identity.” Pope Tawadros II and the synod members “expressed their appreciation for the President’s positions on enhancing citizenship and the state’s efforts to restore churches attacked by acts of terrorism and to construct new churches in new cities.”

President El Sisi also “lauded the Egyptian Christians for their patriotism and wisdom in confronting challenges that Egypt has faced in the past few years” while affirming “that all Egyptians share equal rights and responsibilities as enshrined in the constitution, which does not discriminate among them.”

For more information, see the below release from the Office of the Presidency.

President El Sisi meets Pope Pope Tawadros II and Members of Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church

Today, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met with the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark Pope Tawadros II and a number of members of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

President El Sisi asserted the strong unity and sense of brotherhood among all Egyptians, both Muslims and Christians. He explained that the circumstances that the region is facing illustrate the importance of holding on to their societal values that averted attempts to foment division among the Egyptian people who have lived together as one for long decades. The President stressed the need for state efforts to go in parallel with societal efforts to assert the core national character and brotherhood among all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians, which have always been a source of strength and pride of Egypt’s moderate, tolerant and rich identity. President El Sisi explained that developing the sectors of education and culture will play a significant role in this regard, but entails exerting long and concerted efforts.

Pope Tawadros II and the synod members expressed their appreciation for the President’s positions on enhancing citizenship and the state’s efforts to restore churches attacked by acts of terrorism and to construct new churches in new cities. The President lauded the Egyptian Christians for their patriotism and wisdom in confronting challenges that Egypt has faced in the past few years. He affirmed that all Egyptians share equal rights and responsibilities as enshrined in the constitution, which does not discriminate among them. He pointed out that Egypt values diversity and that it has always been a safe haven for all religions. The President stressed the need to remain aware of attempts to foment division and discord among Egyptians and to decisively confront them.

President El Sisi referred to the state’s efforts to construct new cities, especially in Upper Egypt, that will include worship houses for Muslims and Christians. The President warned against using religion as an instrument to foment discord and a tool to recruit members in terrorist and extremist groups, noting that these acts defy the religions’ value of tolerance. The President praised the role of the “Family House” in this regard, stressing the need for more cooperation between Al-Azhar and the Egyptian church to propose new initiatives on how to further uphold citizenship and strengthen national unity.

The President stressed that all Egyptians must avoid attempts that seek to undermine their unity and that individual incidents should not cast a shadow over the good relations that Egyptians share, noting that many of the times these incidents are not related to religion. The President pointed out the challenges Egypt faces to realize development and ways to overcome the problem of overpopulation as well as efforts to improve vital services, enhance the quality of education and develop youth cadres through the presidential leadership program.  He emphasized that this stage requires further unity among Egyptians to protect the nation and advance its interest.

##