The pope entered the great hall of the cathedral, leading a procession that included a number of senior bishops, priests and deacons.

For the first time in two years, a huge number of Christians have been allowed to attend the mass amid strict coronavirus measures, including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

Also, a large number of well-wishers, including senior statesmen, ministers, officials and public figures participated in the mass and others have sent cables to Pope Tawadros II.

Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsy attended the mass on behalf of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enany and Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj also attended.

Previously, Pope Tawadros II also led Good Friday mass at the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district, attended by hundreds of worshipers and a host of bishops and priests.

The prayers began in the early hours of Friday morning and ended with the approach of sunset, and included six prayers from the first to twelve hours of Good Friday.

The celebrations of Christian religious events of the Holy Week were disrupted over the past two years due to the pandemic, as attendance of masses was limited to church officials in order to stem the spread of the virus in the country.

The Palm Sunday marks the first day of the Holy Week that also has Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, which is Easter’s eve — when Copts usually go to church before gathering at night to celebrate and break their 55-day fast.

El-Sisi sent an Easter greeting message to Pope Tawadros II, saying that its coincidence with the holy month of Ramadan is a call for adherence to noble religious values, state news agency MENA reported on Saturday.

“Easter’s coincidence with the holy Ramadan month on the land of Egypt, the cradle of monotheistic religions, is a call for adherence to the noble religious values that call for strengthening cohesion and linkage and enhancing the spirit of solidarity and harmony,” El-Sisi stated.