Gebran Bassil, Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants visited on Monday, December 19, 2016 the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center and met with HG Bishop Ermia, General Bishop and head of the center, and concluded the visit by touring the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center and learned about it’s activities and also visited the Patriarchal Museum, Archdeacon Habib Girgis Museum, manuscripts Museum and the Academy.
Bassil also inspected the bombed Petrine Church and checked out the damage accompanied by HG Bishop Ermia.
Bassil said: “We came to Cairo to mourn the martyrs of terrorist bombing which targeted the church. We deliberated to be a Lebanese delegation that consist of Lebanese dimensions, we are an official delegation representing Lebanon, the President and the Levantine in this world.”
The Foreign Minister said: “We are united to survive on this earth and it’s diversity, especially in Egypt and Lebanon, and are committed to our diversity, our particularity and our belonging to homelands that dream to be a place of diversity. And every citizen must have the concept of citizenship and commit to this supreme concept, which override any other concept, keeping within the roots of free belief and religion in which we face terrorism. on this basis, Egypt and Lebanon have to unite to face this tragedy and look forward to the promising future. “
Bassil stressed that in Lebanon we started to get out of the dark tunnel to a fold wider area, giving a necessary dimension of levantine. He added: “We hold the solidarity and hope for the future and we will win and we will inevitably stay steadfast like this marble.” He concluded by saying: “The Church and the mosque columns and structure must remain high , witness the triumph of free thought.”
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