MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Pope Francis has arrived in Egypt with a two-day visit, in particular to participate in the International Peace Conference taking place at the Al-Azhar conference center in Cairo.
"Let us say once more a firm and clear 'No!' to every form of violence, vengeance and hatred carried out in the name of religion or in the name of God. Together let us affirm the incompatibility of violence and faith, belief and hatred," Pope Francis was quoted as saying by the Vatican Radio.
He stressed that religion had "an intrinsic vocation to promote peace."
"No incitement to violence will guarantee peace, and every unilateral action that does not promote constructive and shared processes is in reality a gift to the proponents of radicalism and violence," Pope Francis added.
He also expressed condolences and offered solidarity to Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, repeatedly subjected to acts of violence and aggression, referring to the recent terrorist attacks on Coptic churches.
On April 9, powerful explosions hit Coptic churches in the Egyptian cities of Tanta and Alexandria, with Daesh terror group, outlawed in Russia, claiming responsibility for the attacks. The blast in Alexandria claimed at least 18 lives, while the explosion in Tanta left at least 30 dead. Police have already arrested three people suspected of organizing the attacks.
On the same day Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency.
