Grand Imam of Al-Azhar pays first visit to Pope Tawadros II

Ahmed El-Tayeb of Al-Azhar visits newly enthroned Coptic
Orthodox Pope Tawadros II at St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo
-Photo courtesy of MCN

Cairo, Wednesday 21 November 2012: Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar His Eminence Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb visited newly enthroned Pope of Alexandria His Holiness Tawadros II for the first time on Wednesday morning.
The visit took place at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Abbasiya, central Cairo. El-Tayeb was accompanied by Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa and a delegation of scholars and sheikhs from Al-Azhar, the most prestigious institution in Sunni Islam.
El-Tayeb congratulated Tawadros on becoming Egypt’s 118th pope.
“We are happy with this patriotic spirit,” Pope Tawadros said after the meeting.
The pope commended Al-Azhar and described it as an institution that “adopts a moderate discourse.”
El-Tayeb also spoke about future relations between the Orthodox Church and Al-Azhar.
“We hope to work together hand in hand as Muslims and Christians to remove any obstacles that affect the values of equal citizenship,” he said.
Pope Tawadros was crowned at a ceremony on 18 November. He replaced Pope Shenouda II who was pope for more than four decades.

source: Ahram Online

Read more: Daily News Egypt