Pope Shennouda III visits Zayed's tomb

Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark visited today the tomb of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.He was accompanied on the visit by a number of officials from the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Awqaf, Islamic scholars and members of the delegation accompanying him.The Pope expressed deep appreciation for the great role played by Sheikh Zayed in all areas during his lifetime, which, he said, was full of achievements and great successes.He said the late UAE founder and leader had many outstanding stances, adding that he was a man of great tolerance, who worked hard for dialogue among civilisations and rapprochement among all religions. He expressed deep regret for losing such a great leader who worked tirelessly for humanity in general.Members of the delegation accompanying the Pope include, Egyptian Ambassador, Mohammed Sa'ad Obaid, Archbishop of the Coptic Church in Jerusalem, Gulf and Near East Bishop Doctor Abraham, Bishop Issac Al Anba Bishoy, head of the new Coptic Church in Abu Dhabi and other Christian men of God.They prayed for the soul of the late UAE leader.The Pope will inaugurate tomorrow the new Coptic Church in Abu Dhabi. The church was built on a land donated to Egyptian Copts by the late Sheikh Zayed. Source WAM