Although there are still no dates or trip itinerary, the Vatican has confirmed that the pope is considering going to Egypt.
It would not be a surprising announcement, as in recent months the Vatican and Cairo University, Al-Azhar, have tightened their relations. In May 2016, its rector, the Grand Imam Ahmad al-Tayyib, visited Pope Francis. This university is a reference point for the Muslim intellectual world.
The trip would be another sign of progress in the relationship between Catholicism and Islam, and a step in the fight against fundamentalism. The pope's visit to one of the Muslim world's key points of thought would reveal that part of Islam does not share the view of terrorists.
At the moment, the only confirmed trips for 2017 are to the sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal in May, and Colombia in September. ;
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