Macron Visits St. Mark's Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo

By Nawal Sayed

CAIRO, Jan. 29 (SEE)

- Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, Tawadros II, received

Tuesday morning French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte

Marie-Claude at the St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Abbassia

District in Cairo.

Pope Tawadros II

said that Egypt has a long history and a well-known civilization enriched with

various cultures such as Pharonic, Coptic, Islamic, Arab, African and Mediterranean

which ties Egypt with France.

The Pope stressed

the strong relationship between Cairo and Paris in various fields including

culture, civilization, education, economy, social and politics.

"The Francophonie civilization in Egypt reflects a powerful cultural

link between the two countries," the Pope illustrated.

"I remember too some visits made by the French envoy to many Egyptian monasteries in Wadi el-Natron where we discussed necessity of improving the Egyptian educational system and the libraries' roles."

On his part, President Macron hailed the

Egyptian government's efforts to protect Copts.

During his tour at the Cathedral, Macron

said "One of my wishes was to meet with Pope Tawadros II who represents the

Egyptian Copts."

"I know how much the Orthodox suffered

from terrorism recently, but we trust the Egyptian leadership that it can guarantee

their safety."

Macron expressed his

confident that Egypt guarantees principle of Pluralism which is a main pillar

of peace in the region.