Pope meets with Egypt’s president

November 25, 2014

Pope Francis met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during a November 24 audience at the Vatican.

Sisi, a general, helped oust the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi from power in 2012 and was subsequently elected president in 2014.

Sisi, according to the Associated Press, called the Pope a “great man” and presented him with a silver box. The Pope gave Sisi a copy of Evangelii Gaudium,his apostolic exhortation on the proclamation of the Gospel.

The two discussed the Church’s solidarity with all Egyptians and Egypt’s role in promoting peace in the Middle East and North Africa. “In this regard, it was reiterated that dialogue and negotiation are the only options to put an end to the conflicts and to the violence that endanger defenseless populations and cause the loss of human lives,” according to the Holy See Press Office.

In addition, according to the press office, “hope was expressed that within the framework of guarantees enshrined by the new Constitution in terms of the safeguard of human rights and religious freedom, the peaceful coexistence among all components of society may be strengthened and the path to interreligious dialogue may continue to be pursued.”

 

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Further information:

• Comunicato della Sala Stampa: Udienza al Presidente della Repubblica Araba d’Egitto (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope Francis meets Egyptian leader on Europe trip (AP)