Pope Francis tweeted
Thursday "tomorrow I will travel to an Egypt of peace as a
pilgrim of peace", on the eve of his two-day apostolic journey
to Egypt.
The message on the nine-language @Pontifex account recalled
the trip's motto: "Pope of peace in Egypt of peace".
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.
El-Tayeb is one of Sunni Islam's most senior figures.
The pope will not use an armoured car during his visit,
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.
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