French President Emmanuel Macron received on Friday Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark Diocese at the Elysee Palace in Paris as part of his tour of the Coptic Orthodox Church's parishes in Europe. The one-hour meeting touched on the situation in the Middle East and the condition of Christians living in it, in light of the threat of terrorism and violence targeting ethnic and religious minorities, in addition to the dangers of displacing Christians due to the turmoils and instability that some countries in the region are witnessing, Egyptian Ambassador to France Ehab Badawi told MENA on Friday. On this score, Pope Tawadros expressed his regret over the conditions of Christians in conflict-hit countries, pointing out religious diversity has always been a source of enrichment for the culture and civilization of any nation. Egypt enjoys stability and security despite the unrest that many of the countries surrounding it are suffering from, the pope noted, stressing that the Egyptians are one fabric. He valued the Egyptian efforts to combat terrorism, pointing out that calls aiming to cause strife and undermine the coherence of the national fabric are doomed to failure. The French president valued the Egyptian-French efforts and coordination at high levels in fighting terrorism, lauding Egypt's active role in the Middle East. The pope, during the meeting, reviewed the efforts exerted by Al Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church under the umbrella of the Family Home initiative which was greatly welcomed by Marcon who considered it a role model for peaceful co-existence. Talks between the two sides also covered the conditions of the Christian Egyptian expats in France
