Pope Francis urged tolerance and denounced "demagogic" populism and violence committed in God's name on Friday, as he visited Egypt to promote dialogue with Muslims and support its embattled Christian minority. Francis is scheduled to visit the Cairo church bombed in December alongside Coptic Pope Tawadros II. Before disembarking from his plane in Cairo, Francis had told reporters that his visit was a "journey of unity and fraternity. "Please pray for my journey tomorrow as a pilgrim of peace to Egypt," Francis said on his Twitter account on the eve of his departure. The now-retired German pontiff's 2011 comments condemning an attack on a Coptic church prompted Al-Azhar to denounce Benedict for meddling in Egypt's affairs.

Source: Egypt Independent April 28, 2017 17:37 UTC