Sisi receives HH Pope Tawadros II and Coptic Church Youth forum delegation

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi received at the presidential palace in Cairo Pope Tawadros II and representatives from among the young men and women participating in the first World Youth Week (WYW) of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Sponsored by Pope Tawadros, the WYW forum runs from 25 August to 2 September 2018 under the motto “Back to Roots”, at the Logos Centre in the monastery of Anba Bishoi in Wadi al-Natrun in Egypt’s Western Desert. Some 200 young men and women of the Coptic Diaspora from 50 countries across the world are attending, and are being treated, in addition to the spiritual activity, to a cultural and touristic programme.

According to the presidency spokesman, Bassam Radi, the President happily greeted the Coptic youth and applauded the initiative to connect Egyptians abroad with their roots in Egypt, and to acquaint them with Egypt’s efforts and progress in achieving economic and social development.

President Sisi expressed his appreciation of the patriotic role the Egyptian Church is playing under Pope Tawadros. He pointed out to his guests that Egypt is proud of her Coptic children and of their achievements inside Egypt and abroad. The President then held an open dialogue with the young people, answering their questions on the developmental, economic and security conditions in Egypt. The President cited many significant developments currently taking place, and explained that this phase aims at changing the present into a brighter future on all fronts. He stressed that this can only be achieved through establishing values of tolerance and coexistence.

The President also pointed out that the State gives special attention to young people, organising local and international youth forums, providing them with job opportunities in new projects and mega projects, and upgrading essentials such as education and healthcare.

The young men and women expressed their delight to visit Egypt and to meet the President. They said that what they saw on the ground during their visit differed greatly from what the western media reported on Egypt, in the sense that conditions on the ground were positive and promising not negative as is frequently depicted. They thanked President Sisi for the stable security condition that they had seen for themselves, and for the national projects he spearheaded in Egypt. They noted that President Sisi has shouldered the responsibility of Egypt during an extremely intricate period of her history and was able to save her from terrorism and extremism. They said they would act as ambassadors to their country Egypt, and would speak of what they saw in Egypt everywhere they go.