A state of controversy dominated Pope Tawadros II’s Friday visit to the UAE, which is scheduled to last for five days. While the church said the visit came to provide religious services to followers in the Arab state, others claimed the visit was politically motivated.
During the visit, the first to a Gulf state since the inauguration of the St. Mark See in November 2012, Tawadros praised the position adopted by the UAE government to support Egypt during the recent period, reported Emirates News Agency.
Rights activist Naguib Gabriel, chairperson of the Egyptian Union for Human Rights, said the visit was the first of its kind in the history of the Coptic Church, describing it as historic visit that came to express appreciation for the UAE’s position towards recent developments in Egypt.
He added in a press statement that the pope is scheduled to meet with a number of leading UAE officials and would visit a number of Coptic churches
On the other hand, the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of Muslim Brotherhood, questioned why the Coptic top cleric conducted a trip to the UAE, describing the visit as a “conspiracy against Egypt.”
“Tawadro’s visit to the UAE during the current period raises controversy in light of UAE support for the military coup that overthrew the democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi,” the party said in a Saturday statement.
It said the church has not announced the reason behind the visit, adding that the UAE supports the current authority in Egypt and the people who supported the “military coup.”
UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan had sent a private aircraft to transfer the Coptic Patriarch from Cairo to Abu Dhabi.
