Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark met on Monday with Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella during the preacher’s visit to participate in an ecumenical prayer for peace in the Middle East.
Mattarella received Tawadros II at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, expressing appreciation for Egypt’s Coptic Church and Al-Azhar institution denouncing extremism, according to a statement by Egypt’s Ambassador in Rome Hesham Badr.
Tawadros II arrived on Friday in Italy to join Roman Catholic Pope Francis and other religious leaders, including Eastern Orthodox patriarchs and heads of churches, to hold a prayer to end wars and conflicts in the Middle East.
On Sunday, Tawadros II met with Italy’s Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi, who hailed the church head for his role in “spreading the message of tolerance and love,” as well as “rejecting violence and terrorism.”
Milanesi said that Italy’s following up on the conflicts in the Middle East increases his country’s support to Egypt, as well as strengthening the bilateral relations on political and economic levels, state news agency MENA reported.
On Sunday, Tawadros II headed a mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul in Rome, along with a Coptic delegation and a number of bishops and priests.
