Egypt’s Copts Leader Pope Tawadros II said that the decision of Defense Minister Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to run for the presidency has become a national duty, saying “Egyptians believe he is the savior and hero of 30 June revolution.”
In an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan on Sunday, the pope said, “Everyone is free to choose whoever they believe he is appropriate according to their personal conviction.”
“The administration of toppled President Mohamed Morsy was not suitable by all means for Egypt,” he said. “The rule of Morsy witnessed many crises and disadvantages with all political groups, trends and state institutions.”
Tawadros also added that Interim President Adly Mansour is running the country wisely and that all his decisions are balanced.
The pope referenced common conspiracy theories spouted by government officlas that blame foreign powers for Egypt’s woes, saying he considers the “Arab Spring” revolutions not as ‘spring’ or even as ‘fall,’ but rather an ‘Arab Winter’ that was planned for the Arab region to fragment the countries into small ones.
