ROME (NE) Two weeks after Pope John Paul II's visit to their country, Egyptians of all walks of life draw positive conclusions. Observers, political leaders, the Catholic community, local press and the man and woman in the street all agree that the Papal visit was a success. With these words, Fides Vatican agency stressed the importance of the Holy Father's last pilgrimage, highlighting the great impact that the Pope's trip has had for the Catholic community in Egypt.

    As Fides reported, local press gave space to every event and speech, highlighting the marked spiritual impact of this first-ever visit of a Bishop of Rome to Egypt. Local authorities made every effort to give the best possible image of relations between the state, essentially Muslim, and the Catholic Church. Egyptian political leaders were enthusiastic with the outcome of encounters between political leaders and Pope John Paul II and his delegation.

    "For the local Catholic Church, the Pope's visit made it better known in Egypt and in the world, local religious and lay Catholics say. It filled with pride this double minority Church, because it allowed the largest public gathering for prayer in the country's history, with almost 25,000 people in Cairo stadium, where even a great crucifix had been erected," Fides last weekly bulleting highlighted. "All the ceremonies were broadcast and followed by hundreds of thousands of spectators."

    The Holy Father's pilgrimage has left for Catholics in Egypt many moments of intense and particular spirituality which "will give new impulse to everyone both at the level of faith and of commitment at the service of the Church and the nation", a leader of a youth movement said. The visit has also evidenced -a Catholic Bishop pointed out- "the diversity and multiplicity of the Catholic Church in Egypt, a micro-cosmos of the world and a proof that this is a richness…an event like this confirms the authentic Egyptian identity of Catholics, as well as their attachment to the Universal Church."