Interview with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II on the Egyptian Channel One

The journalist Youssef Al-Husseini conducted a television interview with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, which was broadcast was broadcast on the evening of Sunday 31 July 2022, on Egyptian Channel One.

The interview included a variety of topics: national, spiritual, and social. It also included the memories and visions of His Holiness the Pope during the ten years he spent on the throne of St. Mark. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II also addressed the modern challenges and the Church’s vision to confront them.

In a question about the memories of His Holiness the Pope for the period from June 30 to July 3, His Holiness referred to the visit he and Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb made to the ousted President Mohamed Morsi, from which His Holiness emerged with the impression that the most senior official in the country at that time was completely separated from the reality of the Egyptian street, as well as His Holiness spoke that after a statement was issued on July 3, upon his return to his residence in the monastery, the pilot of the helicopter that His Holiness rode on was keen to fly at a low altitude to show His Holiness the Pope the joy of Egyptians in the streets.

On how to deal with Christian youth after the January Revolution, His Holiness stressed that the matter required the help of divine grace, and indeed God gave us strength in this matter.

Regarding the directives of His Holiness to the priests in churches regarding the attack on churches in August 2013, His Holiness stressed that it was the affirmation that the homeland is the most precious thing we have.

In a question about the improvement in the situation of Christians during the last eight years, His Holiness said that the change that happened for the better for Egypt and the Egyptians as a whole is the most important, praising the architectural achievements in all their forms, as well as in the field of health, giving, for example, the elimination of Hepatitis C as well as the elimination of waiting lists in Major surgeries, and in the field of education, praised the distinguished efforts made by Dr Tarek Shawky, as well as the huge national projects such as the new Suez Canal, the industrial zone, and the new delta, and His Holiness stressed that all these achievements will reap the fruits of the new generations.

As for the situation of Christians during the past eight years, His Holiness spoke about the Church Building Law that was approved in Parliament with the support of the President and the State, and which addressed past mistakes in this matter. He stressed that the congratulatory visit paid by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Eid always has a positive resonance in the hearts.

Regarding the church’s role in linking diaspora Copts to the mother church and the homeland, His Holiness gave some statistical figures, including that there are currently 500 Coptic churches in all continents of the world, compared to 1971 when there were only five churches, as well as 2 million Copts abroad and about 400 priests and monks A nun and ten monasteries, all of which have strong relations with the Egyptian embassies…

This news was originally published on the Coptic Orthodox Church website. Please click here to read more.