Different era. Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II (C-R) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz (C-L) at the Cathedral of Abbasiya in Cairo, last March. (AFP)
Egypt’s Christians are optimistic following the first Coptic mass in Saudi Arabia. Dozens of Coptic Christians attended the mass at a tourist facility in Riyadh.
The mass, Egypt’s Christians said, reflects the tremendous changes happening in Saudi Arabia.
“It even portends more change in that great country in the future,” said Father Polis Halim, spokesman of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church. “Saudi Arabia is showing an admirable degree of tolerance that gives us a lot of hope.”
The story began in May when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz visited Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo and met with Coptic Pope Tawadros II. The crown prince invited Tawadros to visit Saudi Arabia and check on the condition of the Copts — mostly expat Egyptians — living there.
Eze Afrika
