The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, received on May 17, 2022 at the Presidential Palace in Cairo the Prelates of the Christian Churches participating in the 12th General Assembly of the Council of Churches of the Middle East.
The President enthusiastically welcomed the convening of the General Assembly of the Council of Churches of the Middle East, since it is the first time that it has been held in Egypt since its establishment in 1968, stressing that Christian brothers in all Arab countries are an integral part of the fabric of the whole Arab society.
The President also stressed that citizenship and equal rights for all are firm values that represent the Egyptian state’s approach to all citizens without exception, an approach that the country applies through realistic and pragmatic practices in all aspects of life to maximize the universal human values of peace, love, non-discrimination on any ground and the spread of a culture of pluralism, faith and freedom, and to combat fanaticism and extremism, stressing that this is the strategic direction of the Egyptian State without being linked to a specific period of time.
The Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Theodore II, took the floor and expressed the joy of the participating Prelates in the 12th General Assembly of the Council of Churches of the Middle East for the honour of meeting the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and for their visit to the God-blessed and hospitable Egypt, noting its valuable contribution to the history of humanity and the search for peace, as well as the importance of Egypt’s role in the Middle East.
He also referred to the stable relations of friendship in matters of good coexistence and social solidarity with the Prelate of the Coptic Church, Mr. Tawadros II, he stressed the sacrificial contribution of the 20-century-old Patriarchate of Nilohora to all African states, and conveyed the love and respect of the Orthodox peoples of Greece and Cyprus for Nilohora and its President.
Similarly, the Patriarch’s conversation in a private joint meeting with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and the Coptic Patriarch Tawandros II was in the same mood.
