Pope Tawāḍrūs II, the Patriarch of Alexandria, said that his current pastoral visit to the United States is not related to the upcoming visit of President ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ al-Sīsī to New York to attend the meetings of the General Assembly of the United Nations, noting that the program of the pastoral visit was predetermined since last year, however the Pope's health conditions did not permit him to do so, and he completed this year. The pope said the welcoming of president al-Sīsī to the United States is a celebration of Egypt.