NEW ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL, Egypt: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday praised Egypt鈥檚 religious freedoms as he visited a vast cathedral and a mosque in the country鈥檚 new capital east of Cairo.
Washington鈥檚 top diplomat, who describes himself as an evangelical Christian, is on a tour aimed at reassuring regional US allies after Washington鈥檚 shock decision to withdraw US troops from Syria.
On Thursday evening he visited the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ and the Al-Fattah Al-Alim mosque in Egypt鈥檚 New Administrative Capital, 45 kilometers east of the capital.
At the mosque, he praised Egypt鈥檚 鈥渇reedoms here in this houses of worship, these big, beautiful, gorgeous buildings where the Lord is clearly at work.鈥�
The two buildings were inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday, a day after a deadly bomb blast near a church in the country where extremists have repeatedly targeted Christians.
鈥淭his is a special country where President El-Sisi clearly made a point by putting this, this largest cathedral in the Middle East here in this place,鈥� Pompeo said, calling the building 鈥渁 great symbol of hope.鈥�
The cathedral鈥檚 inauguration was hailed by US President Donald Trump, who wrote on Twitter that he was 鈥渆xcited to see our friends in Egypt opening the biggest Cathedral in the Middle East.鈥�
鈥淓l-Sisi is moving his country to a more inclusive future,鈥� Trump said.