Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark Diocese said the welcoming of the Coptic Orthodox Church to the visit of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to the United States to participate in annual United Nations meetings is a celebration of Egypt.

During the pope's meeting with representatives of the church in Staten Island, New York, he said Egypt is trying to recover from setbacks that occurred over the past years and exerting its utmost to achieve development in all fields.

He noted that the president and government are making uphill efforts to achieve a renaissance in Egypt, underlining that Egypt is currently building its own capabilities and shoring up its economy.

He warned that Egypt is targeted by a smear campaign that aims to spread false news about it to harm its people.

Pope Tawadros arrived in the US on Thursday, 13 September, on a month-long pastoral visit. It is his second pastoral visit since becoming pope to visit parishes and dioceses of the North Eastern United States.

The first papal pastoral visit to the US was in 2015. He then visited the parishes in the southern part of the US and attended celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the consecration of the south US Coptic diocese.

MENA