Pope leads open-air Mass in Egypt, urges tolerance

By Mohamed Mahmoud

CAIRO (AA) – Pope Francis led an open-air Mass for thousands of Catholics in Egyptian capital Cairo on Saturday, the last day of his visit to Egypt.

Crowds welcomed the pontiff as he toured Cairo's Air Defense Stadium in a golf cart to the sound of hymns performed by a choir and orchestra.

Addressing the crowd, Francis called for religious tolerance and fighting fanaticism.

"True faith leads us to protect the rights of others with the same zeal and enthusiasm with which we defend our own," he said.

"God is pleased only by a faith that is proclaimed by our lives, for the only fanaticism believers can have is that of charity! Any other fanaticism does not come from God and is not pleasing to him."

The Pope arrived in Cairo on Friday for a two-day visit seen as aiming to build bridges with Muslim religious leaders.

The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of the launch of diplomatic relations between Egypt and the Vatican.

On Friday, Francis became the first pope to visit the headquarters of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar -- the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, which is currently held by Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb.

The Pope is expected to leave Egypt later today, ending his first papal visit to the country.

The visit also comes in the wake of a deadly twin attack on two churches in northern Egypt in which 46 people were killed on April 9.