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Sunday, November 29, 2015
Egyptian church: Pope did not acquire Israeli visa for Jerusalem visit

Pope did not acquire Israeli visa for Jerusalem visit: Egyptian church
Sun, 29/11/2015 - 16:28 Al-Masry Al-Youm
http://www.egyptindependent.com//news/pope-did-not-acquire-israeli-visa-jerusalem-visit-egyptian-church

Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church has announced that Pope Tawadros II did not
obtain an Israeli visa for his visit to Jerusalem last Thursday, responding
to domestic criticisms which said the visit was a violation of a longtime
popular rejection of normal ties with Israel.

Pope Tawadros II was attending the funeral of Bishop Abraham, Archbishop of
Jerusalem and the Near East, who died on Wednesday, escorted by delegation
of eight senior church clerics. He defended his decision to go to Israel,
calling it a "duty".

Tawadros' visit to Israel was the first made by a head of the Egyptian
Church since 1967 when his predecessor, late Pope Shenouda III, imposed a
ban on visiting the holy city while under Israeli occupation.

According to a statement by the church on Sunday, the Pope’s visit came
after coordination with the Palestinian Authority. “Pope Tawadros II did not
meet with any officials from either the Israeli or the Palestinian side
during his stay in Jerusalem. There shall be no room for speculation or
propaganda on the concept of normalization,” said the statement. “There is
no need to view the situation from a political perspective.”

“The church’s stance remains unchanged, no visits to Jerusalem except with
the company of the Egyptian masses.”

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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