Pope Francis headed Mass in Cairo for about 25,000 believers on the final day of his visit to Egypt.
The worshippers gathered in a stadium, waving flags and releasing balloons as the Pope made his entrance.
The Pope has used the visit to build ties with Muslim leaders and appeal for religious freedom.
He began his brief address in sombre mood, referring to the condition of the disciples following Christ’s crucifixion. He said they returned “full of despair and disappointment… The Master is dead, and thus it is pointless to hope. They feel disappointment and despair”.
But he said their lives were transformed by the resurrection. And then he returned to a theme that he has repeated throughout this visit, that only those who behave with compassion can truly claim to be believers – believers of any religious faith.
“God is pleased only by a faith that is proclaimed by our lives, for the only fanaticism believers can have is that of charity. Any other fanaticism does not come from God and is not pleasing to Him.”
