News
Latest News
news bulletin
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Other News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Beirut
23
o
Mount Lebanon
23
o
Metn
22
o
Keserwan
22
o
North
23
o
South
23
o
Bekaa
17
o
Live
Video
Audio
Schedule
shows
العربية
watching now
Researcher Ossa Kbire
SUBSCRIBE
Home
Notification
Live
Video
Audio
shows
Beirut
23
o
Mount Lebanon
23
o
Metn
22
o
Keserwan
22
o
North
23
o
South
23
o
Bekaa
17
o
News
Programs
The News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Programs
Documentaries
Lebanon’s Centennial
News Bulletin
The Untold History
Talk Show
Series
Sports
Variety
Other
Comedy
Oldies
Breaking News
Latest News
Highlighted News
Most Read
Videos
العربية
Watch the latest programs and the latest developments on your favorite screen
Shows
Join millions of followers
Who We Are
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Careers
Channel frequencies
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
REPORT: Pope, at Cairo Mass, urges unity against fanaticism
Author:
Nicole Hajal
Breaking Headlines
2017-04-29 | 07:08
High views
Share
Share
REPORT: Pope, at Cairo Mass, urges unity against fanaticism
5
min
REPORT: Pope, at Cairo Mass, urges unity against fanaticism
Pope Francis warned against religious fanaticism on Saturday, wrapping up a brief trip to Cairo where he urged Muslim leaders to unite against violence by Islamic militants threatening to rid the Middle East of its ancient Christian communities.
Francis' trip comes three weeks after Islamic State killed at least 45 people in attacks on two Egyptian churches. He has used the visit to launch a strong appeal for religious freedom and to accuse extremists of distorting the nature of God.
After a dense first day of meetings with political and religious leaders, the highlight on Saturday was a Mass in the Air Defense Stadium, where Vatican officials said 15,000 people gathered, among them Coptic bishops and senior Anglican figures.
Crowds arrived early, waving Egyptian and Vatican flags and braving intense security measures to welcome Francis, who toured the sun-drenched stadium in a golf buggy to the sound of hymns performed by a choir and orchestra.
He blessed Egypt as one of the earliest nations to embrace Christianity and repeated his plea for tolerance.
"True faith leads us to protect the rights of others with the same zeal and enthusiasm with which we defend our own," he told the crowd in the heavily guarded arena.
"The only fanaticism believers can have is that of charity. Any other fanaticism does not come from God and is not pleasing to him," he said in his homily.
In a series of speeches during his two-day stay, the pope has delivered his bluntest denunciations yet against religious violence, and has appeared to endorse Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's campaign against Islamist militants.
However, he nuanced his message by lamenting the rise of "demagogic forms of populism" -- a possible reference to right-wing nationalist parties in Europe pushing anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim agendas.
He also defended human rights -- which non-governmental organizations have accused Sisi's administration of abusing.
"History does not forgive those who preach justice, but then practice injustice," he said in a speech on Friday, sharing the stage with Sisi, who warmly applauded his words.
STRICT SECURITY
The unusual choice of venue for Saturday's religious service highlights the security concerns surrounding the trip.
Helicopter gunships circled the perimeter of the stadium and armored military vehicles patrolled the streets of the Egyptian capital on Saturday. Police in white uniforms were positioned every few meters (yards) on a Nile bridge that the pope crossed.
The 80-year-old pope himself declined the use of an armored limousine, preferring instead to travel in an ordinary Fiat car with its window wound down so he could be closer to onlookers.
Francis had lunch with Egyptian bishops and was later leading prayers at a Catholic seminary in the south of Cairo before heading back to Italy in the late afternoon.
The visit was the first by Francis to Cairo but the second by a Catholic pope. Pope John Paul II came to Egypt in 2000, a year before the September 11 attacks on the United States that convulsed Western relations with the Muslim world.
Egypt's Christians comprise 10 percent of the 92 million population, making them the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Most Egyptian Christians are Coptic Orthodox, while barely 200,000 are members of Churches within the Roman Catholic fold.
While Egypt has escaped the sort of sectarian violence that has decimated ancient Christian communities in Syria and Iraq, it is under threat from Islamic State militants who launched a campaign in December to wipe out Egypt's Christians, carrying out three church attacks that have killed more than 70 people.
The campaign presents a challenge for Sisi, who has vowed to crush Islamist extremist and is fighting a long-running insurgency in North Sinai, where Islamic State murders have forced hundreds of Copts to flee.
Sisi, who declared a three-month state of emergency after the Palm Sunday church attacks, appealed for more international cooperation to combat terrorism when he met Francis on Friday.
REUTERS
To watch the full report, please click on the video above.
Breaking Headlines
Pope
Cairo
Egypt
Mass
Next
Grand Mufti Derian travels to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
Recommended For You
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
16:03
Hezbollah announces launching 'dozens of rockets' at Israel in response to civilian deaths
Lebanon News
16:03
Hezbollah announces launching 'dozens of rockets' at Israel in response to civilian deaths
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-21
Breaking: Israeli airstrike hits Naqoura, reports NNA
Lebanon News
2024-04-21
Breaking: Israeli airstrike hits Naqoura, reports NNA
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-21
Shelling from Lebanon hits Western Galilee: Israeli Channel 12 reports
Lebanon News
2024-04-21
Shelling from Lebanon hits Western Galilee: Israeli Channel 12 reports
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-17
Israeli warplanes strike agricultural land near Baalbek: Three missiles launched
Lebanon News
2024-04-17
Israeli warplanes strike agricultural land near Baalbek: Three missiles launched
Subscribe to our VOD
SUBSCRIBE
Our visitors readings
d-none hideMe
0
World News
2024-01-09
More than 1,000 Ukrainian towns lose power due to extreme winter weather
World News
2024-01-09
More than 1,000 Ukrainian towns lose power due to extreme winter weather
0
World News
2024-03-18
Kabul announces death of eight individuals in Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan
World News
2024-03-18
Kabul announces death of eight individuals in Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan
0
World News
15:47
Russian deputy defense minister detained on suspicion of corruption
World News
15:47
Russian deputy defense minister detained on suspicion of corruption
0
Middle East News
2024-01-27
Hamas denounces Israeli "threats" against UNRWA
Middle East News
2024-01-27
Hamas denounces Israeli "threats" against UNRWA
Videos
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
0
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
0
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
0
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Most read
d-none hideMe
24 hours
7 days
Month
1
Lebanon News
02:51
Israeli media: Prominent Hezbollah air defense member killed in Aadloun raid
Lebanon News
02:51
Israeli media: Prominent Hezbollah air defense member killed in Aadloun raid
2
Lebanon News
02:04
Israeli army strikes Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon
Lebanon News
02:04
Israeli army strikes Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon
3
Lebanon News
05:03
Hezbollah member killed by Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, AFP source says
Lebanon News
05:03
Hezbollah member killed by Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, AFP source says
4
Lebanon News
01:13
Israeli drone targets car near Aadloun and Kharayeb intersection
Lebanon News
01:13
Israeli drone targets car near Aadloun and Kharayeb intersection
5
Lebanon News
09:09
Beirut's air pollution crisis: Diesel generators linked to doubling cancer risk, study shows
Lebanon News
09:09
Beirut's air pollution crisis: Diesel generators linked to doubling cancer risk, study shows
6
Lebanon News
04:22
Al-Hajj Hassan to LBCI: Southern region's damages exceed three billion dollars
Lebanon News
04:22
Al-Hajj Hassan to LBCI: Southern region's damages exceed three billion dollars
7
Lebanon News
07:56
Israeli airstrikes kill two Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon
Lebanon News
07:56
Israeli airstrikes kill two Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon
8
Lebanon News
07:49
Hezbollah retaliates: Shelling two military positions in northern Israel
Lebanon News
07:49
Hezbollah retaliates: Shelling two military positions in northern Israel
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use
cookies
to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More