The Croatian Catholic newspaper Glas Konsiova published an interview on Thursday with Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, on the sidelines of his visit to Croatia, which concluded on Wednesday.
In his interview with Pope Tawadros II, journalist Ivan Tašev discussed several topics, particularly the history of Christianity in Egypt and the Coptic Church’s stance on same-sex marriages.
During the interview, Pope Tawadros II pointed out that while Christianity has spread throughout the world, Egypt is unique as the only country visited by Jesus Christ and the Holy Family.
Regarding the relationship between the Coptic and Catholic Churches, he noted that this relationship is strong and developing.
He also mentioned that theological dialogue is currently suspended after the Orthodox Churches requested further clarification on the document concerning the blessing of same-sex marriage
Pope Tawadros II stressed the Church’s complete rejection of all matters related to homosexuality or the blessing of such marriages.
He also noted that His Grace Bishop Kyrillos, General Bishop, recently visited Rome and is expected to meet Pope Leo XIV, with this issue expected to be among the topics discussed.
He affirmed that strong bonds of love and continuous visits exist between both churches.
Pope Tawadros II explained that relations between churches involve building good ties among all churches, studying one another’s churches in order to better understand each other, including their history, doctrines, and traditions and engaging in theological dialogue.
The interview also addressed the issue of unifying the date of Easter.
Pope Tawadros II commented that, according to the canons of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the Patriarch of Alexandria is responsible for determining the date.
