Sisi congratulates Egyptians on Christmas

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2013 file photo, Egypt's Pope Tawadros II visits al-Muharraq Monastery, in Assiut province, Egypt. On Sunday, May 9, 2021, Egyptian officials said authorities have executed a defrocked monk convicted of the 2018 killing of Bishop Epiphanius, an abbot in a desert monastery north of Cairo. The abbot’s killing has exposed a side of the church that few in Egypt — Muslim or Christian — knew existed, including the growing power and independence of monks in remote monasteries who appear to be at odds with Pope Tawadros II and the church’s central leadership. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had officially congratulated Egyptian Christians on the occasion of Christmas, calling for the inspiration of the values instilled by Christ, peace be upon him: love, tolerance, forgiveness and charity for all Egyptians.

This is what the message looked like on his official Facebook page :

“Greetings to our people and our country on the occasion of Christmas. That fragrant occasion that brings us together through the love of the homeland, and confirms that we are on the path of citizenship, and that we will never deviate from human coexistence and the authentic belief in the unity of the homeland and the human community.”

He added, “On this occasion, I call on you to be inspired by the fragrant meanings established by the Lord Christ, peace be upon him, of love, tolerance, forgiveness and benevolence. Happy new year and may Egypt be always and forever safe and sound.”