Press. voanews.com
As the sun came
down around the Vatican Embassy in Cairo on Friday, police lined the streets,
and soldiers waited in army trucks behind roadblocks. Despite the
heavy security presence, there was a sense of relief as many eyes turned to
their television screens to watch the day's events unfold. On his first day of
his first visit to Egypt, Pope Francis was safe.
"This visit
will strengthen relations between Christians in Egypt and the Catholic
Church," said Rizk Rashad, looking away from the cafe TV screen where the
pope and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi were speaking. "Perhaps
next our president will visit the Vatican."
On the
television, Francis delivered a speech warning of the dangers of rigid,
narrow-minded belief structures. "For all
our need of the Absolute, it is essential that we reject any 'absolutizing'
that would justify violence," the pope said. "For violence is the
negation of every authentic religious expression."
The visit comes
amid difficult times for Egyptian Coptic Christians, one of the largest and
oldest minority groups in the Middle East. Earlier this month, more than 40
people were killed in three church attacks claimed by Islamic State militants.
Earlier Friday,
as Francis visited two of Egypt's most famous cathedrals and mosques, security
forces appeared noticeably nervous, lining the streets and rapidly inspecting
cars in advance of the pontiff's arrival.
A heartening
sign
The Vatican
refused to cancel the papal visit after the attacks, as well as the offer of an
armored car. And while some locals feared for the pope's safety, others saw the
fact that the visit was proceeding as a sign of better times to come. "We were
hoping the visit would be in a better situation," Saber Ghebrial Ayoub
said. "But we respect that he did not cancel. He knows that his message of
peace and love will speak directly to Egyptian people."
Tough times
There are
roughly 10 million Coptic Christians in Egypt, a nation of 92 million people,
but the Christian population in the Middle East is in decline. In Syria and
Iraq, IS militants have driven out vast numbers of Christians in recent years. But in Egypt,
Christians say discrimination usually comes in the form of economic and
political disadvantages.
"Many of
our rights seem lost to us," said merchant Maged Taqawy Fakhry, 36.
"We do not fill important positions in Egypt, and we face discrimination
from authorities. We face so many obstacles and so much harassment."
One of the
pope's stated missions in Egypt is to strengthen interfaith efforts between
Christians and Muslims. And some analysts say that at a time when extremist
groups are intentionally creating division, interfaith dialogue is key to
maintaining Egypt's relative stability.
"From
Muslims who know God, there is no challenge toward Christians," said
Edward Bohnin, an Egyptian political analyst and journalist who specializes in
Coptic issues. "But there is the other team, which are the terrorists. …
They want to divide us to control us by planting the seed of sectarian
strife."
Mass at Cairo
Stadium
The pope's visit
will include meetings with Egypt's leading Christian and Muslim clerics as well
as political leaders. On Saturday, Francis is expected to celebrate Mass at
Cairo Stadium before dining with Egyptian priests and returning to the Vatican.
In his remarks,
the pontiff said the path toward peace is not just the rejection of extremism,
but the embrace of religion, without speaking specifically about Catholicism. During Friday's
visit, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam at al-Azhar in Cairo, one of the
Muslim world's leading religious institutions, met with Francis and echoed some
of his sentiments.
"With all
these accomplishments [of the 21st century], how come peace has become a lost
paradise?" he said. "The answer, I assume, is that modern
civilization has ignored religion."