The Vatican: Pope’s visit to Egypt under consideration

CAIRO – 12 March 2017: Pope Francis is considering a trip to Egypt but no date or schedule has yet been set, his spokesman said Saturday in response to Italian reports that Francis would be coming in May, France 24 reported.

"A trip by the Holy Father to Egypt is under study but neither dates nor a program has been finalized," his spokesman, Greg Burke, said in a statement.

The statement came after Italy’s state-run broadcaster RAI claimed the pope would be visiting Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo May 20-21.

The Vatican and Al-Azhar have been seeking to restore relations after a series of problems that ignited the situation between Muslims and Christians in Egypt in the era of Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI. Following an attack on a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria that killed 21 people, Benedict called for greater protection for Christians in Egypt.

Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb made a visit to the Vatican last May and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met with Pope Francis in 2014, where he extended a long-standing invitation to the Argentina-born pope to visit Egypt, France 24 reported.