Egypt’s President attended a Christmas service in Cairo’s Coptic cathedral last night in what observers said was an historic first.
In footage broadcast on Egyptian television, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited a packed Saint Mark’s cathedral, where he greeted Pope Tawadros II and, standing next to him, made a brief address to jubilant worshippers. According to reports, al-Sisi’s appearance ended days of speculation as to whether or not he would attend, but forced Pope Tawadros to stop his prayers halfway through to announce his arrival. The service was also attended by Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the head of Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, the seat of Sunni learning, the Middle East Eye website reported.
Egypt’s Muslims and Christians are “one entity” in the world’s eyes, al-Sisi told worshippers, who suffered discrimination and intimidation from Muslim Brotherhood members under the rule of the former president, Mohammad Morsi. In 2013 an armed mob launched a violent all-night attack on the cathedral, killing two worshippers and wounding dozens more.
Al-Sisi went on: “Let no one say, ‘What kind of Egyptian are you?’ It’s not right to call each other anything but ‘the Egyptians’. We must only be Egyptians,” he added.
Former Egyptian presidents, including Hosni Mubarak and Morsi, usually wished the Coptic leader a Merry Christmas by telephone. The Coptic Church celebrates Christmas on 7 January. General Sisi was the first to attend the cathedral service, according to the Egyptian news website Ahram Online.
Meanwhile the Anglican bishop based in Cairo, Mouneer Anis, said a “new spirit” was emerging between Egypt’s Muslims and Christians “following many tumultuous years”.
An imam and 11 worshippers from a local mosque came to his office on Christmas Day to wish him a happy Christmas, give him flowers and pledge to work together. He returned the visit by going to the mosque on Saturday, the birthday of prophet Muhammad. “Christians and Muslims posting greetings and well wishes to each other on Facebook, accompanied by images of Muslims and Christians holding hands,” he noted in his diocesan newsletter.
However Catholic and Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt’s central Minya province cancelled their Christmas festivities and held only prayer services after gunmen shot dead two policemen guarding a local church.
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