教宗致函塔瓦德罗斯二世“让我们向着完全合一进一步努力”

教宗方济各在科普特东正教和天主教友谊日之际发表文告，回顾埃及之行

梵蒂冈城（亚洲新闻）—今天五月十日，教宗致函塔瓦德罗斯二世充分表达了共同继续迈向完全的合一的意愿、感谢在开罗访问期间得到的盛情款待。今天，也是科普特东正教和天主教的友谊日。

四月二十八日和二十九日的埃及之行期间，教宗方济各和埃及科普特东正教会宗主教塔瓦德罗斯二世签署了联合声明，阐明结束科普特和天主教徒在圣洗圣事问题上的对立立场。即相互承认对方的圣洗圣事。方济各教宗还专程前往科普特教会的圣伯多禄堂讨论将基督徒结合在一起的“鲜血凝成的大公运动”。

教宗致塔瓦德罗斯二世电文如下：

Dear Brother,

After my visit to Egypt and the blessed encounter with Your Holiness in Cairo, and recalling the fourth anniversary of our fraternal meeting in Rome on 10 May 2013, I take this opportunity to offer my prayerful best wishes for your peace and health, as well as my joy and gratitude for the spiritual bonds uniting the See of Peter and the See of Mark.

I once more express my profound appreciation for your hospitality and for our moving meeting and common prayer as brothers in Christ. I am especially grateful that we have strengthened our baptismal unity in the body of Christ by declaring together “that we, with one mind and heart, will seek sincerely not to repeat the baptism that has been administered in either of our Churches for any person who wishes to join the other”. Our bonds of fraternity “challenge us to intensify our common efforts to persevere in the search for visible unity in diversity, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit”.

Along this path we are sustained by the powerful intercession and example of the martyrs. May we continue to advance together on our journey towards the same Eucharistic table, and grow in love and reconciliation.

I assure Your Holiness of my continued prayers for you, and for peace in Egypt and the Middle East. In this Easter season I pray that the Holy Spirit, the strength and tenderness of God, may fill our hearts with his grace and kindle in them the fire of his love. May the Spirit of peace bestow on us an increase of hope, friendship and harmony.

With these sentiments, on this special occasion which has rightly become known as the day of friendship between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, I exchange with Your Holiness a fraternal embrace of peace in Christ our Lord.