Pope Francis starts historic visit to Egypt Friday

Vatican Pope Francis is slated to start on Friday a historic visit to Egypt at an invitation from President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Coptic Orthodox pope and Al Azhar sheikh.

All necessary measures were taken to ensure a warm welcome for the pontiff during his historic visit to Cairo, which is under the slogan of "Pope of peace in Egypt of peace".

During his 27-hour visit, the Pope is set to meet with President Sisi and participate in an international peace conference organized by Al Azhar.

Pope Francis will attend also a ceremony organized in his honor by the Egyptian Presidency at a Cairo hotel with many senior Egyptian officials attending.

Following the ceremony, the Pope will pay a visit to the St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Abbassia, where he will meet with Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint Mark Diocese.

Later on, Pope Francis will lead a memorial prayer El Botroseya Church to mourn the victims of the terrorist attack which hit the same church in December, leaving 28 people dead.

On Saturday, the Pope will lead a mass of more than 30,000 people at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo and will meet with priests of the Catholic Church in Egypt before leaving Cairo on Saturday afternoon.

Pope Francis had sent a video message to the Egyptian people ahead of his visit to the country, saying the “world needs peace, love and mercy”.

“I am truly happy to come as a friend, as a messenger of peace and as a pilgrim to the Country that gave, more than two thousand years ago, refuge and hospitality to the Holy Family fleeing from the threats of King Herod,” the Pope said in the video message on Tuesday.

The Pope thanked those who invited him, including President Fattah El Sisi, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint Mark Diocese, as well as Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed el Tayyeb.

The video showed Pope Francis expressing his excitement to visit the land “where Patriarchs and Prophets lived,” and wishes to bring strength and comfort to the Christian community.

Pope Francis will not use an armored car during his visit to Egypt. The pope will use a closed car to move around, but not an armored one, the Vatican spokesman said earlier this week.

Source: MENA