Egypt's former military chief and presumed presidential front-runner visited the Coptic pope Saturday ahead of Orthodox Easter, making his first public appearance since he formally made his bid for the presidency.
Pope Tawadros II is a strong backer of retired Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who removed the country's first democratically elected president last summer after a wave of popular protests.
Tawadros backed the military's overthrow of Islamist Mohammed Morsi and appeared alongside el-Sissi with Muslim leaders and secular politicians after his ouster.
Following Morsi's removal, rioters burned and vandalized churches and government buildings in the country.
Orthodox Easter is tomorrow and El-Sissi's visit to the pope's seat of power at St. Mark's Cathedral is a tribute to the country's Christians, some 10 per cent of Egypt's population.
Morsi never visited the Cathedral, instead sending a representative last year. Some radical Islamists had argued even against greeting Christians during their holidays. According to a statement, el-Sissi told Pope Tawadros that Christians and Muslims will remain united.
Riding a wave of widespread support for the military after Morsi's ouster, el-Sissi is widely expected to win the coming May 26-27 presidential election. There is little opposition to the former military chief, who retired before declaring his bid as Egyptian law bans soldiers from running.
