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Pope visit to Egypt to go ahead despite blasts

April 10, 2017 at 11:38 pm

Despite Sunday’s twin bombings on Coptic Christian churches, Pope Francis trip to Egypt this month is still going ahead and has not been cancelled, Archbishop of Luxor’s Catholic Christians and Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Holy Father’s visit, Bishop Emmanuel Ayad, said on Monday.

Speaking in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Ayad stressed that the recent attacks “will not cancel the Pope visit to Egypt,” pointing out that there have been several communications with the Vatican authorities over the visit’s required logistical and security arrangements.

On his part, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, the Vatican deputy secretary of state, told Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper that the events on Sunday, however tragic, “could not impede the pope from carrying out his mission of peace.”

Read: Pope condemns terrorism and Egypt blast

“There is no doubt that the pope will carry out his intention to go,” Becciu said.

 What happened caused disorder and tremendous suffering, but it cannot stop the pope’s mission of peace.

In a two-day official visit to the Egyptian capital Cairo, the pope is scheduled to meet with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb and the country’s Coptic Pope Tawadros.

On Sunday, Two bombings, which were claimed by Daesh, exploded at two Egyptian churches killing at least 44 people and wounding over 100.