2019 Day of Friendship Between Copts and Catholics

On the occasion of the Day of Friendship Between Copts and Catholics, which annually commemorates the historical meeting between Saint Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III on 10 May 1973, Pope Francis sent a letter to Pope Tawadros expressing his joy for the spiritual bonds that unite the See of St Peter and that of St Mark. In response, Pope Tawadros addressed a message to the Holy Father to mark the day.

To mark the occasion, on 12 May 2019 Cardinal Kurt Koch, accompanied by Reverend Father Hyacinthe Destivelle, visited the Coptic Orthodox Church of St George in Rome, where he attended the liturgy presided over by Bishop Barnaba El Soryani, Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Italy, and delivered an address calling for a deepening of the friendship between Copts and Catholics in the shared friendship of Jesus Christ.