CAIRO – November 8, 2021: Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and the Patriarch of Saint Mark on Monday stressed the importance of unity among all citizens concerning their region.

He added in his speech during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Egyptian Family House that “religions should be a reason for unity and cooperation, not fights and disputes”.

Pope Tawadros also noted that Egypt in particular is one of the wealthiest civilizations around the world; therefore, the Egyptians have always lived amidst mixed cultures and religions throughout their history.

He said the Egyptian Family House is working to spread community peace, achieve justice and reaffirm the concept of citizenship.

In his speech, he said humanity has been through a lot, especially in the last period, due to the effects of COVID-19 and the isolations, as well as its natural challenges such as earthquakes. , volcanoes and climate change.

Pope Tawadros called for an approach based on five basic concepts to living life over the next ten years. These concepts are: “the love of God, the love of nature, the love of the other human being, the love of our country and the love of eternity”

Work on the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Egyptian Family House began on Monday with the participation of Grand Imam Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El Tayyeb and Pope Tawadros II, 118th Pope of Alexandria and Patrarch of the See of Saint Mark as well as former president Adly Mansour.

The ceremony, held at the Al-Azhar Convention Center in Nasr City, began with the performance of the national anthem.

The “Egyptian Family House” is an initiative that represents a model of religious coexistence. Established in 2011 by the post-revolutionary cabinet of Essam Sharaf, the Egyptian family home was first designed by the grand sheikh of al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, and the late Pope Shenouda of Alexandria. Based in Cairo, the Egyptian Family House is made up of Muslim scholars, clerics from the Coptic Church, representatives of various Christian denominations in Egypt, and a number of Egyptian intellectuals.

The “Egyptian Family House” aims to preserve the fabric of Muslim-Christian unity within Egyptian society, following a number of means to achieve this goal; in particular, to reaffirm the noble values ​​and the common characteristics between the different religions and cultures; establish a new discourse that responds to the needs of the youth, as a pillar of morality and education, to encourage peace and the rejection of hatred and violence; promote cooperation and coexistence between citizens; monitor and propose means of prevention to maintain social peace; and train imams and priests in various regions of the country to familiarize the faithful with other faiths in order to maintain social peace

The Family House works to promote Muslim and Christian values ​​of compassion, empathy and understanding and respect for the principles of coexistence and tolerance.

The Maison de la Famille also aims to encourage a culture of peace and acceptance of others and to fight against hatred and violence.