Pope Tawadros visits Egyptian consulate in Marseille

MARSEILLE, France, Oct 20 (MENA) - Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark on Sunday paid a visit to the premises of the Egyptian consulate in Marseille where he was welcomed by Egyptian Consul General Ambassador Hisham Maher and the consulate's staff.

In statements on Sunday, Coptic Orthodox Church Spokesman Boulos Halim said the pontiff held a meeting with Marseille Mayor Renaud Muselier.

Accompanying Pope Tawadros are Anba Danial, Bishop of Maadi and Secretary-General of the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod; Anba Mikhail, Bishop of Hadayeq al-Qubba, Waili, and Abbassiya; together with a number of priests and deacons, including papal secretary Fr Kyrillos Boshra and Deacon Ramy Rizq.

On Wednesday Anba Marc, Bishop of Paris and Northern France welcomed Pope Tawadros at the diocese headquarters in Draveil, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, located some 19km from the centre of the city. There, the Pope offered Thanksgiving prayer at the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary and Archangel Raphael.

While in France, Pope Tawadros made a few official visits in parallel to his pastoral activity.