Egypt's Sisi visits Coptic church to attend Christmas Eve mass

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi showed up at the main cathedral in Cairo on Wednesday evening to offer his well-wishes to Christians at the Coptic Christmas Eve mass, the Egyptian state TV reported.

"Merry Christmas!" said the Muslim Egyptian president amid cheers and applauds of the attendees. "No one can divide us," he continued, urging for unity among all Egyptians regardless of their religions or differences.

Standing in the middle of the church and surrounded by bishops, Sisi promised that all the damaged churches in sectarian attacks will be repaired during 2016. He also praised Copts for their patriotic sentiments.

"Long live Egypt with all of us!" Sisi repeated before leaving the church, shaking hands with Coptic Pope Tawadros II, head of Egypt's Orthodox church.

On the same day in 2015, Sisi was the first Egyptian leader to attend the Coptic Christmas mass, winning the hearts of most Copts in the country, if not all.

After a deadly dispersal of Islamist sit-ins following the military removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in mid-2013, angry Islamists attacked a number of Coptic churches and homes in different parts of the country, as most Copts supported Morsi's ouster.

Although there are no accurate statistics, some reports say that Copts constitute over 10 percent of the 94 million population of the most populous Arab state. Endit