On Wednesday, May 3, Pope Francis recalled his recent visit to Egypt, saying that given its rich biblical and cultural history, the country is a sign of hope, and has a special role to play in brokering peace in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\u201cEgypt for us is a sign of hope, of refuge and of help,\u201d the Pope said during his May 3 general audience.<\/p>\n
He noted how, in scripture, Jacob and his sons travelled to the region when it was in famine, and later, Jesus himself also found refuge there from Herod.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo recounting this trip enters on the path of recounting hope,\u201d he said, adding that for Christians, \u201cEgypt has the sense of speaking about hope, whether in history or today, and of this brotherhood that I am telling you about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Francis spoke just days after returning from his April 28-29 visit to Egypt, which was made largely as the result of a recent thawing in relations between the Vatican and the prestigious al-Azhar University, one of the highest institutional authorities in Sunni Islam, which had been strained since 2011.<\/p>\n
The visit also took place in the wake of increasing attacks on Egypt\u2019s Coptic community and, as such, was meant to offer support for local Christians as well as to cement Catholic-Muslim relations.<\/p>\n
During his visit, Pope Francis met with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed Mohamed al-Tayyeb, at the al-Azhar University, where he also spoke to the International Conference for Peace. He then met with Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and civil authorities before sharing a moment of prayer with Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II.<\/p>\n
He also spent time with Egypt\u2019s Christian community, celebrating Mass for Catholics on the second and final day of his trip, and meeting with the country\u2019s priests, religious and seminarians.<\/p>\n
In his general audience address, the Pope thanked Egypt for \u201cthe truly warm welcome\u201d he was given, saying President el-Sisi and the Egyptian authorities made \u201can extraordinary commitment so this event could take place in the best of ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
The goal, he said, was for the visit to be \u201ca sign of peace for Egypt and for that entire region, which, unfortunately, suffers from conflicts and terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Francis told pilgrims that his visit to the al-Azhar University had the \u201cdouble horizon\u201d of promoting dialogue between Christians and Muslims, and of promoting peace on a global level.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this context, I offered a reflection that valued the history of Egypt as a land of civilisation and alliance,\u201d he said, explaining that Egypt is widely considered to be \u201csynonymous with ancient civilisation and with treasures of art and knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
This serves as a reminder \u201cthat peace is built through education, the formation of wisdom, of a humanism which includes, as the religious dimension, the relationship with God as an integral part,\u201d he said, pointing to the speech given by al-Tayyeb.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeace is also built starting from the alliance between God and man, founded on the alliance between men,\u201d he said, explaining that this is a law which can be summed up in the two commandments of love of God and neighbour.<\/p>\n
Francis then said this same foundation is also the basis of building \u201cthe social and civic order in which all citizens of every culture, origin and religion are called to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of \u201cthe great historic and religious patrimony\u201d of Egypt and its role in the Middle East, the country has \u201ca peculiar task on the path toward a stable and lasting peace, which does not rely on the law of force, but on the force of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Wednesday, May 3, Pope Francis recalled his recent visit to Egypt, saying that given its rich biblical and cultural history, the country is a sign of hope, and has a special role to play in brokering peace in the Middle East. \u201cEgypt for us is a sign of hope, of refuge and of help,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":9298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7863],"tags":[7901],"class_list":["post-9297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-section","tag-pope-francis-egypt-hope-peace"],"yoast_head":"\n