Remarks With His Holiness Pope Shenouda

(1:15 p.m. local time)

UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES: It’s such an honor for me to meet with His Holiness the Pope the head of the Coptic Christian Church who is so beloved by millions of Copts here in Egypt and in America and across our world. His Holiness is a man who wants peace and so as he talked with me very frankly about some of his concerns about war. He’s a man who believes in love and the power of love to prevail. He is a man who has set a wonderful example of -- here in Egypt of how Christians and Muslims can strive to work together and through your friendship with Sheikh Tantawi who I met with yesterday.

You’ve set a wonderful example for the rest of us. President Bush asked me when I began this job to try to find ways to foster and encourage interfaith dialogue and understanding and build bridges of respect and tolerance between people of different faiths and people of different countries. And I think I’ve seen an outstanding example Your Holiness of that right here in Egypt.

HIS HOLINESS POPE SHENOUDA: I am very glad to welcome such a distinguished and honorable lady in America working with President Bush. All of us want to maintain peace in the whole world and also to maintain values and principles in my own people. We welcome her for her visit to Egypt. And we wish that this visit may be successful as far as we can cooperate together. America is a great country in the world and also a great country of technology, of politics and we wish that the representative of America today may be successful in her missions with also her assistant Dina Powell.

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