Pope Francis will visit Egypt’s capital city in April at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Al-Azhar, announced the Vatican on Saturday.
According to the Vatican, the Pope will visit Cairo between 28-29 April.
The Pope is expected to meet officials from Al-Azhar, the highest Sunni Islamic authority in Egypt, and the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Pope will also meet Egyptian President Sisi and other top government officials.
In 2016, the Vatican hosted Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb. The meeting, the first of its kind between the heads of the Catholic Church and the top authority in Sunni Islam, lasted for about 30 minutes and ended with a hug and kisses, seen as symbolizing the strengthening of relations between Islam and Christianity.
The Pope also met President Sisi at the Vatican in 2014, during one of Sisi’s first visits overseas after becoming President.
Comments (0)