Pope Tawadros II receives the Ministers of Culture and Endowments and confirms the Church's full keens to participate in supporting all activities aimed at raising awareness and building human being and society.
Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano: The Church has a major role in supporting national issues and is an integral part of the fabric of Egyptian society and a guardian of the heritage and historical trust of our country.
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received today, Thursday, at the papal headquarters in Cairo, Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano, Minister of Culture, and Dr. Osama Al-Azhari, Minister of Endowments, within the framework of enhancing dialogue and cooperation between religious and cultural institutions in Egypt.
The meeting discussed coordinating efforts regarding the participation of the Coptic Church and the Ministry of Endowments in the activities of the Ministry of Culture to raise awareness of human values and constructive concepts, using various arts, through the activities carried out by the Ministry of Culture in the regions of Egypt.
His Holiness the Pope welcomed the two ministers and their accompanying delegation and spoke to them about the Coptic Orthodox Church and its history over two thousand years, and its national role throughout its journey, noting that writing the biographies of the Coptic Patriarchs presents a multi-angled picture of Egypt's history.
His Holiness the Pope expressed the Church's full readiness to participate in supporting all activities that aim to raise awareness and build the individual and society.
For his part, Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hanno expressed his appreciation for the role of the Coptic Church in supporting national issues, stressing that the Church is an integral part of the fabric of Egyptian society, and is a guardian of the heritage and historical trust of our country. He pointed out the importance of cooperation between cultural and religious institutions to educate young people and adolescents about the concepts of national unity, rejecting extremism, and promoting the values of tolerance and acceptance of others.
Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hanno pointed out the Ministry of Culture's keenness to cooperate with the Egyptian Church to present cultural and artistic events and activities at the Church's headquarters in the governorates, through which awareness can be raised to build the Egyptian individual.
In the same context, Dr. Osama Al-Azhari stressed the need to enhance cooperation between the Ministry of Endowments and the Church in spreading the values of tolerance and moderation, noting that this cooperation reflects the cohesion and unity of Egyptian society. At the end of the meeting, the Minister of Culture dedicated His Holiness the Pope the book "Churches in Egypt since the Holy Family's Journey to the Present Day" and a copy of the painting "The Nun" drawn by the late Egyptian artist Ahmed Sabry in 1929, which became known worldwide as the "Egyptian Mona Lisa", in which the artist drew a picture of a nun inspired by the features of the Egyptian character. For his part, Pope Tawadros dedicated the Ministers of Culture and Endowments the book "One Hundred Coptic Personalities on the Land of Egypt".