Tomorrow: The Pope to Approve the Holy Family Journey in Egypt to Promote It Worldwide

By Akram Medhat

Minister of Tourism Yehia Rashed heads today to the Vatican at the head of a high-level delegation to attend the Mass to be held tomorrow, Wednesday, on the occasion of the Pope's blessing, for the first time, of the icon of the Holy Family's journey in Egypt. This means its approval as an apostolic symbol for promoting the Holy Family journey, similar to the symbols the Vatican has approved for pilgrimage, such as the olive tree for pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and is an important and essential step toward including Egypt in the Vatican's pilgrimage program for 2018.

Rashed said the Pope's blessing of the Holy Family journey icon comes as the crowning of the efforts made by the President to support tourism and the ministry's efforts to put the Holy Family Trail back on the global religious tourism map, building on the success of Pope Francis's visit to Egypt last April.

It is worth noting that the Minister of Tourism had visited the Vatican more than once, most recently last May following Pope Francis's historic visit to Egypt in April, to discuss cooperation between the two states to promote religious tourism in Egypt, especially regarding the Holy Family journey, which is expected to attract a large segment of tourists interested in this type of tourism from around the world.

It should be noted that 8 archaeological sites on the 25-point trail have already been prepared as a first phase: the Church of Abu Serga and the Hanging Church in Old Cairo, the Church of the Virgin Mary in Maadi, the three Wadi El-Natrun monasteries (St. Bishoy, El-Sourian and El-Baramous), the Church of the Virgin Mary at Gabal El-Teir, the Al-Muharraq Monastery at Mount Qusqam, and the Monastery of the Virgin Mary at Mount Durunka, in coordination with the Ministries of Antiquities and Culture and the Coptic and Catholic Churches.