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Pope Francis On Egypt Visit Calls For Dialogue To Fight Extremism


Pope Francis waves to reporters before embarking on an historic visit to Egypt.
Pope Francis waves to reporters before embarking on an historic visit to Egypt.

Pope Francis called for new dialogue in the fight against extremism, as he continued a momentous visit to Egypt in support of its embattled Christians.

The Roman Catholic leader made the call during an April 29 mass before thousands of believers.

His visit comes after the bombings of three Egyptian churches earlier this month and in December -- bombings that killed dozens of worshipers and were claimed by Islamic State extremists.

"The only fanaticism believers can have is that of charity," the pope said at the service.

Despite security concerns, Francis was expected to use an ordinary car during his 27 hours in Cairo, in line with his practice of shunning armored vehicles in order to be closer to people.

Francis was scheduled to meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, along with an influential Suni cleric, and the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP

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