On 3rd September 2013, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, accompanied by His Grace Nikodimos, Bishop of Nitria, Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo, was warmly welcomed at the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Egypt, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in the presence of high-ranking officers of the military hierarchy. Given the key role which the military played during the regime changes of last July, as well as the regulatory role which it is playing at present, setting the roadmap of the country’s transition to constitutional stability, the meeting was of exceptional importance for the promotion of the positions and the rights of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in the renascent political landscape of Egypt.
His Beatitude had the opportunity to proclaim the non-negotiable commitment of the Alexandrian Patriarchate to the efforts to return to political and social normality and assured the Minister that he would have him as an ally in every initiative of the restoration of concord and reconciliation within the Egyptian social body with respect to the people’s will. General Sis thanked His Beatitude for the meeting, as well as for the timeless contribution of the Greek Orthodox Church to the Land of the Nile, invited him to exercise his international influence in order to restore the international image of Egypt, emphasizing the importance of the words and efforts of the religious leaders of the country towards the facilitation of the return of Egypt to the way of prosperity and progress.
