Saudi Arabia is an essential “pillar” of the Muslim Arab world and the recent meetings by the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud at all levels are much appreciated because they reveal a modern vision and kindle ‘great hopes’ for the future of that country and the whole international community. This is the opinion of Copt Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II in an interview with Arab News, reported December 5, 2018, by Fides News Agency. During the interview, the Primate of the Copt Orthodox Church also announced a future visit to Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of Prince Mohammad Bin Salman himself. The two men met in March 2018, during the Crown Prince’s visit to Egypt.
In the same interview, the Patriarch described as “unnatural” the exodus of Christians from wide areas of the Middle East, known for co-existence of Jews, Christians, and Muslims . Pope Tawadros also said that in Egypt the numbers of Christians who emigrate have diminished considerably, since the country began to regain its political stability.
On November 2, 2018, for the very first time, a Copt Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Saudi Arabia, with the permission of the authorities. The Liturgy was celebrated at the home of a Copt resident in Saudi Arabia Anba Morkos, Copt Bishop of Shobra El Kheima, with the participation of several families of Egyptian Christian immigrants.
