Following are excerpts from a statement by Coptic Pope Tawadros II at Christmas Mass, which was broadcast on Tahrir TV on January 6, 2014:
Tawadros II: We would also like to thank Field Marshal Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi...
Long applause
Worshipper raises a poster of Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi and an Egyptian flag
Tawadros II: ... the first deputy prime minister, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and minister of defense and military production, who sent a courteous letter to congratulate us on our holiday.
[...]