Pope Francis arrived in Egypt on Friday afternoon in his first ever papal trip to the country. The Pope was received by Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and a number of Coptic and Catholic church officials at Cairo International Airport. Following the reception, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi welcomed Pope Francis at the Ittihadeya Presidential Palace in Heliopolis. The Egyptian President and Pope Francis will hold private talks at the Presidential Palace before fronting the press. The Pope, who is visiting Egypt with a message of unity, is also expected to visit Al-Azhar’s headquarters and meet with Grand Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb. Al-Azhar is the highest Sunni Islam authority in Egypt and is highly regarded across the world as a leading Islamic authority. The Pope has previously met El-Tayyeb when the latter visited the Vatican City. After meeting El-Tayyeb, Pope Francis is expected to meet Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II at the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo. A chapel connected to the Cathedral was the site of a deadly terrorist attack in December 2016 that killed 29 women and injured many others. Later on Friday, Pope Francis will give a speech…
