Coptic Orthodox Patriarch to visit Pope Francis

Coptic Orthodox Patriarch to visit
Pope Francis
The date has not yet been confirmed, but Tawadros II himself
said it would take place "soon". The last visit to Rome by the head of the
Coptic Orthodox Church dates back to 1973.

تكبير الصورةتصغير الصورة معاينة الأبعاد الأصلية.

Cairo (AsiaNews Agencies): Tawadros
II, patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, will "soon" visit Pope Francis. The
patriarch himself confirmed the news at the end of a recent meeting with
Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel, who was appointed in January as the new apostolic
nuncio to Egypt. Cooperation and dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic
Churches in the Middle East will be the main topic of the meeting.
In his telegram to Pope Francis, following the
latter's election on 13 March, the head of the Coptic Church said, "News of your
election as head of the Catholic Church fills my heart with joy. I congratulate
you and the cardinals wholeheartedly for this blessed choice.
Patriarch Tawadros II's visit to Rome will be the
first by a Coptic Orthodox patriarch to a Latin pope in 40 years. The last time
was in May 1973 when Pope Paul VI and Coptic Pope Shenouda III met in Rome and
signed a common Christological declaration.