Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took attended the Coptic Christmas Eve mass celebrated by the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II at the St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral on Wednesday, January 6. At the end of the celebration, the Head of State, also addressed the Patriarch, the clergy and the faithful who were present at the celebration. During his greetings – report local sources - al-Sisi also made reference to the attacks on the churches and Christian communities in Egypt carried out by extremist groups, and apologized for the delay in the repair of churches destroyed during the riots in August 2013, when about fifty institutions and Christian places of worship were attacked and devastated by gangs of thugs linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis.
The greetings President al-Sisi received from the hundreds of faithful present were jubilant.
Already in January 2015 al-Sisi had attended Christmas Mass in the same cathedral, which the Coptic Church celebrates following the Julian calendar. Last year was the first time an Egyptian President attended a liturgical solemnity that celebrates the birth of Jesus. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 07/01/2016)
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