Bishop Kirollos, deputy of the Catholic patriarch, has announced the details of Pope Francis I's visit to Cairo where he will arrive on Friday at 2 pm.
Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, the bishop said Ettehadiya presidential palace is the first stop on the Pope's agenda. There, he will meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss bilateral ties and mutual interests; however, the Pope has decided to not stay at any of the presidential palaces during his visit.
Pope Francis will then head to al-Azhar headquarters to attend the peace conference, where he will give a speech and meet with al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb.
Afterwards, the Pope will attend a ceremony organized by the presidency before going to the Coptic Cathedral in Abbassiya to meet Pope Tawadros II. A joint meeting will take place between delegations from the Catholic and Orthodox churches in the papal residence at the cathedral.
According to Kirollos, the pope will also visit the Botroseya church for prayers, before returning to rest at the Vatican embassy.
A 16-person delegation from the Vatican arrived on Tuesday to prepare for the visit.
In related news, the fifth round of talks between Muslim Council of Elders, headed by Tayyeb, and the World Council of Churches, headed by Olav Fykse Tveit, kicked off on Wednesday at al-Azhar.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
