The Pope left Cairo airport Tuesday morning accompanied by a church delegation including Metropolitan Bishoy of Damietta and Kafr El-Sheikh and head of the monastery of St. Demiana Albrari, Anba Sarapamon, Bishop of Los Angeles, Anba Kyrillos, Bishop of Milan and Papal Deputy for All Europe, bishop Raphael of the churches of downtown Cairo and secretary of the Holy Synod, General Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, Fr. Angaelos Eshak, secretary of the Pope, Boulos Halim, official spokesman of the Coptic Church, Tamav Adrosis the Abbess of St. Prince Tadros, Dr. Eshak Ibrahim Agban, and Anton Milad Abdul Sayed.
Pope Tawadros said in an interview with "Voice of Russia" Radio, “The visit aims to exchange love with Patriarch Kirill I who had visited Egypt earlier and met Pope Shenouda. This is the first visit for us with him in Russia. It is a chance to get acquainted and to invite him to visit Egypt. I would like to express my appreciation for Russia's role in Egypt and President Vladimir Putin’s stance during the Egyptian crisis. I personally also would like to visit Russia because Russia has a strong Christian spiritual history.”
Speaking about the unity with the Russian Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros said, “We are trying to build a dialogue in order to have the same concepts. We are very close to each other. We can accomplish that with a little love and dialogue, especially with the Oriental ancient Orthodox churches and Byzantine churches such as the Russian Church and the Greek Church.”
His Holiness said that we wish to have this unity of diversity and to see one Orthodox Church.
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Abridged from: http://www.mcndirect.com/showsubject.aspx?id=57596
