Pope Francis to Visit Egypt
Pontiff's trip to focus on Interfaith Dialogue - a key element of the OLA mission in Egypt since 1881.
Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, pictured with Pope Francis during an encounter in May 2013. Image courtesy of www.catholicworldreport.com.
Pope Francis has confirmed his intention to visit Egypt next month. The pontiff had received invitations from Egyprian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Pope Tawadros – the leader of the Coptic Orthodox church, the Egyptian Catholic bishops and Sheik Ahmed el-Tayyib – the grand imman of Al-Azhar mosque. The visit is expected to highlight the importance and value of interfaith dialogue.
Upwards of 90% of the ninety two million Egyptian population are Muslim with the remaining 10% Christian. While a small minority of these are Roman Catholic, the majority belong to the Coptic Orthodox church.
Early missionaries
Interfaith dialogue has been an important key stone in the OLA Egyptian mission, which has been in existence since December 1881, five years after the order was founded. Three OLA Sisters set sail from Marseille on December 14th and arrived in Alexandria one week later. The Sisters then took a train to Tantá, in the Nile Delta, where the SMA Fathers were already based. The Sisters opened a school there on 2nd January 1882.
A further five communities were established by 1896. The early communities were all dotted along the Nile Delta and the river itself. Feluccas – traditional sailing boats used in protected waters – were the most common form of transport for the Sisters compared to canoes in west Africa. The pioneering Sisters set about opening schools. One of these early schools included Zeitoun – now a district of Cairo – which opened in 1896 and continues its proud educational heritage to this day. OLA founder Fr. Augustin Planque made seven visits to Egypt between 1886 and his death in 1907.
A Sister of the OLA community in Zeitoun pictured at a celebration day for students of the OLA schools in Zeitoun. Image courtesy of the Notre Dame des Apotres Zeitoun Facebook page.
Today, there are seven OLA communities in Egypt. Three of these are located in Cairo: the aforementioned Zeitoun along with Choubra and Meadi. There are two communities to the north of Cairo: Alexandria and Tantá with a further two to the south: Asyut and Guirga. The central thrust of the OLA mission in Egypt is education, healthcare, pastoral work and youth outreach.
Climate considerations
The River Nile is one of the most important rivers in the world and a lifeline to Egypt. According to National Geographic, over 95% of the population live either along the Nile Delta to the north of Cairo or close to the banks of the river itself. Vast swathes of the 30th largest country in the world are covered in desert, rarely receiving any rainfall.
It is reported that rising sea levels may disrupt the densely populated strips of land on the north coast raising the possibility of environmental refugees, according to IRIN news.
Tensions
Tensions continue to be high following last December’s bombing of a Coptic chapel in Cairo - next to the main Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Egypt. It claimed the lives of 25 people – the majority being women and children. Islamic State later claimed responsibility. At the time, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi denounced the bombing and called on Christians and Muslims to work together to overcome terrorism which he referred to as the 'battle for all Egyptians'.
An undated image (left) of an early OLA Sister with pupils of the OLA Zeitoun Primary school. Image courtesy of www.ndaegypte.com. An example of an early fuluca sail boat used on the Nile River. Image courtesy of www.voices.nationalgeographic.com.
Click here to visit the Facebook page of the OLA school in Zeitoun.
Click here to visit the Interreligious Dialogue section of the OLA website.
