During his June 8 inaugural address, Egypt’s new president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, paid tribute to the role of Coptic Christians in national life.
El-Sisi, once the nation’s defense minister, led the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who ruled Egypt from 2012 to 2013.
“The new president said that the Church has played an important role in Egypt’s history and has made undeniable contributions to safeguard national unity, facing those who fomented conflicts among the Egyptian people,” Coptic Catholic Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Guizeh told the Fides news agency.
“The president also said that the Church, together with the Sunni university of Al-Azhar, can give a valuable contribution to free religious speech from the exploitation it has suffered in recent years,” he added.
