Pope Francis will not use an armoured car during his visit to Egypt later this week, Vatican Spokesman Greg Burke told reporters on Monday. "The pope will use a closed car to move around, but not an armoured one. That's how he wanted it," Burke said, adding that the Holy See was not enduring "worry" about the security aspects of the trip.
Dozens were killed earlier this month in two bomb attacks on two Coptic churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday. The Vatican quickly said the attacks, which extremist Islamist group ISIS claimed responsibility for, would not affect the trip. The pope is set to meet the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, considered one of Sunni Islam's most senior figures, on Friday, the first day of the two-day visit.
Immediately afterwards the pope and the grand imam, currently Ahmed el-Tayeb, will give speeches to participants in an international peace conference.
The Grand Imam of al-Azhar, currently Ahmed el-Tayeb, is one of Sunni Islam's most senior figures.
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