Pope Francis sent a message of tolerance and co-existence Saturday in a Mass at a Cairo stadium before concluding his two-day trip to Egypt.
The visit was designed to forge Muslim-Christian brotherhood and show solidarity with the country's persecuted Coptic Christian minority.
Francis' trip came nearly two weeks after the Palm Sunday bombing of two Coptic churches, which left at least 45 people dead.
Heavy security surrounded Francis as he entered Cairo's Air Defense Stadium in an open golf cart.
He waved at worshippers and stopped momentarily to bless a group of children in costume. Parts of the stadium stands were draped with his photo as well as Egyptian and Vatican flags.
"Religiosity means nothing unless it is inspired by deep faith and charity," Francis said.
"True faith is one that makes us more charitable, more merciful, more honest and more humane," he said.
"God is pleased only by a faith that is proclaimed by our lives, for the only fanaticism believers can have is that of charity! Any other fanaticism does not come from God and is not pleasing to him."
The Pope started his Mass with the "As-Salaam Alaikum," the traditional Muslim greeting in Arabic that means "Peace be upon you," and ended it with "al-Masih qam! Bi-l-haqiqa qam! (Christ is risen! He is truly risen)".
A Vatican spokesman said 15,000 people attended the Mass at the stadium, which holds 30,000.
The Pope later met with members of Egypt's small Coptic Catholic community at St. Leo's Patriarchal Seminary in Cairo's Maadi neighborhood.
No comments:
Post a Comment