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.
“Egypt for us is a sign of hope, of refuge and of help,” the Pope said during his May 3 general audience.
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.
“So recounting this trip enters on the path of recounting hope,” he said, adding that for Christians, “Egypt has the sense of speaking about hope, whether in history or today, and of this brotherhood that I am telling you about.”
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.
The visit also took place in the wake of increasing attacks on Egypt’s Coptic community and, as such, was meant to offer support for local Christians as well as to cement Catholic-Muslim relations.
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.
He also spent time with Egypt’s Christian community, celebrating Mass for Catholics on the second and final day of his trip, and meeting with the country’s priests, religious and seminarians.
In his general audience address, the Pope thanked Egypt for “the truly warm welcome” he was given, saying President el-Sisi and the Egyptian authorities made “an extraordinary commitment so this event could take place in the best of ways.”
The goal, he said, was for the visit to be “a sign of peace for Egypt and for that entire region, which, unfortunately, suffers from conflicts and terrorism.”
Francis told pilgrims that his visit to the al-Azhar University had the “double horizon” of promoting dialogue between Christians and Muslims, and of promoting peace on a global level.
“In this context, I offered a reflection that valued the history of Egypt as a land of civilisation and alliance,” he said, explaining that Egypt is widely considered to be “synonymous with ancient civilisation and with treasures of art and knowledge.”
This serves as a reminder “that 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,” he said, pointing to the speech given by al-Tayyeb.
“Peace is also built starting from the alliance between God and man, founded on the alliance between men,” he said, explaining that this is a law which can be summed up in the two commandments of love of God and neighbour.
Francis then said this same foundation is also the basis of building “the social and civic order in which all citizens of every culture, origin and religion are called to participate.”
Because of “the great historic and religious patrimony” of Egypt and its role in the Middle East, the country has “a 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.”
