AFRICA/EGYPT - Patriarch Tawadros : let us all go and vote to elect the new President

Thursday, 22 May 2014

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - On the eve of the Egyptian presidential election, scheduled for May 26 and 27, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II issued a strong appeal to the faithful to go to the polls to give the Country a new President. The authoritative appeal was pronounced by the Patriarch during the traditional meeting of prayer and catechesis he leads every Wednesday afternoon in the cathedral in Cairo. According to Pope Tawadros, presidential elections represent "a good opportunity to exercise the right of citizenship" and to contribute with one’s vote to determine the path of the Country and find a way out of the sectarian clashes and social and political convulsions that have passed through Egypt in recent years.
The Patriarch reiterated the suggestion - already expressed on previous occasions - to choose freely between the two candidates ( the former General Abdel Fattah al- Sisi, that everyone expects will win, and the left-wing politician Hamdin Sabahi) by reading the respective programs. Pope Tawadros also wanted to repeat that the Coptic Orthodox Church prays for the safety of the Country and for the peaceful conduct of the elections. Prayer meetings for the success of the elections were also organized by the Evangelical community in Egypt.
While Anba Boutros Fahim Awad Hanna, Coptic Catholic Bishop of Minya, during a meeting of young Christians on the elections on May 20 reiterated that both candidates are worthy of respect and consideration, and that the Church stresses the importance of participating in the elections freely expressing one’s preference. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 22/05/2014)


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