Pope Tawadros II met with a Popular Current delegation headed by founder Hamdeen Sabahi, in addition to several leading figures of the political group.
Tawadros, the 118th pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, asserted the national role and Arabic loyalty of the Church at the meeting on Monday night. He stressed the Church’s firm stance on the Palestinian issue and the Arab identity of Jerusalem.
The delegation spoke of their appreciation for the national role played by the Egyptian church throughout its long history. They praised the church’s strong relations with Al-Azhar, and thanked it for it’s collective efforts aimed at protecting moderate religious stances in Egypt.
Heba Yassin, media spokesperson of the Popular Current, said that the purpose of the meeting was to greet the pope rather than discuss politics. However, she said that Sabahi asserted the Popular Current’s commitment to achieving the legitimate goals of the 25 January Revolution, i.e. freedom, democracy, social justice and human dignity.
She added that both parties stressed the importance of drafting a constitution protecting equality, citizenship and freedom for the interest of all Egyptians.
Sabahi also attended the enthronement of Pope Tawadros II at St. Mark’s Cahtedral in Al-Abbaseya on Sunday.
The Popular Current is the first political movement to meet Tawadros since his enthronement on 18 November.
