During a visit to Sohag, Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II confirmed his belief that as long as the Azhar is lead by Shaykh Muhammad al-Tayyīb, the country will not suffer. He also reaffirmed his view that moderated Egyptian Islam is good for the whole of the Islamic world, and that Egypt’s development needs good relations between the Church and Mosque. The Pope emphasized that religion and politics are essentially different and should be separated. While in Sohag the Pope met with Governor Dr. Yahyá ‘Abd al-‘Azīm, who said that almost all disputes between Christians and Muslims in the Sohag governate were most often individual disputes, rather than religious ones (Wā’il Badawī, al-Tahrīr, Apr. 21, p. 14). Read original text in Arabic.