On 10 and 11 May, the Holy Father Francis and His Holiness Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, will celebrate together the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting of their predecessors, Pope St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III, which took place in May 1973.

On this occasion, Patriarch Tawadros will attend the General Audience on Wednesday, 10 May. On Thursday, 11 May, he will have a private meeting with Pope Francis, with whom he will have a moment of prayer, and will then visit the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity. The Patriarch will also meet the faithful of the Coptic community living in Rome, for whom he will celebrate a Eucharistic Liturgy at the Papal Basilica of St John Lateran on Sunday 14 May.