Egyptian Coptic Pope Tawadros II, head of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church (Reuters)
The head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II has returned to Cairo and is set to lead the church's weekly meeting on Wednesday after successfully undergoing spinal microsurgery in Germany two weeks ago, state-run news agency MENA reported.
"The pope has returned to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo after finishing a period of recovery in Vienna and was received by members of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church," the Church spokesman Bolis Halim said on in a statement on Tuesday evening.
Tawadros left Cairo for Germany on 11 October to undergo surgery at a private hospital.
Last week, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church cancelled a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence that was planned for the latter’s visit to Cairo later this month.
The cancellation was in response to US President Donald Trump's announcement last week that the US recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and will move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.
Tawadros, 65, became Egypt’s 118th Coptic Pope in November 2012, succeeding Pope Shenouda III, who passed away in March of that year.
Egypt's Coptic pope chairs the Papal Seat of Alexandria as well as the Patriarchy of All Africa in the Holy See of St Mark the Apostle.
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