Pope Francis shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, in Cairo, April 28 (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia).

Pope Francis to Egypt’s leaders: country can end ‘famine of love’ in Mideast

by Gerard O’Connell April 28, 2017

The pope emphasized that Egypt, because of its history and geographical position, “occupies a unique role in the Middle East.

Politics & Society

In Cairo, Pope Francis calls on Christians and Muslims to build “a new civilization of peace.”

by Gerard O’Connell April 28, 2017

“What is needed are peacemakers, not fomenters of conflict; firefighters not arsonists; preachers of reconciliation and not instigators of destruction.”

In this Monday, April 24, 2017 photo, the shadow of Coptic Christian Ayman William is reflected on a dome where he is painting a biblical scene of Samson, at Mar Girgis Church in Zawiya al-Hamra, in Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Faith, News

Unfazed by attacks, this artist in Egypt continues to paint church murals

by Mohamed Wagdy - Associated Press April 28, 2017

“God gave me talent and I must make use of it to serve him,” Ayman William said.

A billboard with a picture of Egyptian Coptic Pope Tawadros II, left, welcomes Pope Francis, at St. Mark's Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday, April 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Faith, News

The pope has landed in Egypt. Here’s what he plans to do.

by Nicole Winfield - Associated Press and Brian Rohan, Associated Press April 28, 2017

Pope Francis came to Egypt on Friday for a historic two-day visit aimed at presenting a united Christian-Muslim front to repudiate violence committed in God’s name.

A man rides a bicycle past a billboard with an image of Pope Francis April 26 ahead of the pontiff's April 28-29 visit to Cairo. (CNS photo/Amr Abdallah Dalsh, Reuters)

Politics & Society, Vatican Dispatch

Pope Francis begins a peace mission to the Middle East with Egypt visit

by Gerard O’Connell April 26, 2017

“Peace be with you” was the message of the Risen Jesus to his disciples on the first Easter, and it is the message Francis will bring to the Muslim and Christian communities in this land.

In this Feb. 20, 2017 file photo, an Indonesian al-Azhar university student, center, and an elderly Egyptian woman pray at al-Azhar Mosque, in Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

News, Politics & Society

Pope Francis enters Egypt at a time of intense conflict between religion and politics

by Hamza Hendawi - Associated Press, Lee Keath - Associated Press and Mariam Fam - Associated Press April 26, 2017

This weekend, Pope Francis meets in Cairo with Al-Azhar’s grand imam, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, their second meeting in a historic initiative to improve Muslim-Christian dialogue.

Pope Francis and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shake hands during a private audience in 2014 at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Gabriel Bouys pool, via Reuters)

Faith, News

Pope will travel to Egypt as a ‘messenger of peace’

by Carol Glatz - Catholic News Service April 25, 2017

“I hope that this visit will be an embrace of consolation and of encouragement to all Christians in the Middle East,” the pope said.

This photo taken on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, shows a man walking in a street in the Palestinian refugee camp of Jerash in northern Jordan. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

News, Politics & Society

The exile of Palestinian refugees spans 50 years

by Karin Laub - Associated Press April 24, 2017

The plight of Palestinians uprooted by Israeli-Arab wars is one of the world’s longest-running refugee crises, and a solution for millions of refugees and their descendants appears distant.