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

On the occasion, Patriarch Tawadros will participate in the General Audience on Wednesday 10 May. On Thursday 11 May he will meet privately with Pope Francis, with whom he will have a moment of prayer, and they will then go to the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. In addition, the Patriarch will meet the faithful of the Coptic community resident in Rome, for whom he will celebrate a Eucharistic liturgy on Sunday 14 May at the Papal Basilica of Saint John Lateran.