El-Sissi pays surprise Coptic Christmas visit

CAIRO: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi visited the main Coptic Christian church on Tuesday night to attend the Christmas service, in a move dubbed by local media as a first in Egypt’s history.
In footage broadcast by Egyptian television, El-Sissi made a surprise visit to Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, wearing a red tie and dark suit and surrounded by security guards. He greeted Pope Tawadros II and stood next to him to make a brief speech in front of a jubilant crowd.
“Let no one say, ‘What kind of Egyptian are you?’" he said.
“It’s not right to call each other anything but ‘the Egyptians.’ We must only be Egyptians,” he added.
Former Egyptian presidents, including Hosni Mubarak and Muhammad Mursi, usually wished the pope a Merry Christmas over the phone. El-Sissi was the first to attend the religious service, according to Ahram Online.
“We will love each other for real, so that people may see,” El-Sissi said. “A happy year for you and all Egyptians!”
The Coptic Church celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7 of the Western calendar, almost two weeks after most Western denominations.