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Coptic Church: Pope-Patriarch Meeting Paves Way for Christian Unity

© AP Photo / Hassan AmmarEgyptian Coptic Christians pray during the Easter Eve service at St. Sama'ans Church in the Mokattam district of Cairo, Egypt
Egyptian Coptic Christians pray during the Easter Eve service at St. Sama'ans Church in the Mokattam district of Cairo, Egypt - Sputnik International
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The Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt welcomes the upcoming meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, viewing the move as a step toward Christian unity, a spokesman for the Coptic Church said.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — Pope Francis is expected to meet with Patriarch Kiril on February 12 in Cuba, in what will become the first ever face-to-face engagement between the heads of the two Christian churches. The two church leaders will meet at the airport in Havana, with the persecution of Christians in the Middle East reportedly being the primary issue to be discussed at the meeting.

"The [Coptic] Church welcomes and supports any dialogue and activities aimed at the unification, in particular, the meeting, which could lead to Christian unity," Father Boules Halim told RIA Novosti.

The East–West Schism occurred in 1054 as communion broke between the Latin-dominated Catholic Church and the Greek-dominated Eastern Orthodox Church over theological and ecclesiastical differences, as well as a conflict between the archpriests of the two capitals, Rome and Constantinople.

File Photo: A resident of a village in the province of al-Hasake in the north-east of Syria prays in St. George's Church destroyed by Daesh terrorists. - Sputnik International
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The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the largest Christian Church in the Middle East. It is also one of the most ancient Churches in the world, founded in the 1st century.

In fall 2014, Pope Tawadros II, the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, visited Moscow to meet with Patriarch Kirill, stressing the importance of dialogue between the two Churches.

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