Pope Francis says his trip to Egypt “was intended as a ‘sign of peace’ and a way of promoting a vision of ‘healthy secularism’ for the entire Middle East region,” John L. Allen Jr. writes for Crux. The vision of this “healthy secularism” emerged in conversation with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and other political and diplomatic figures, Francis says. He also noted that the trip had a strongly ecumenical character, pointing particularly to the joint declaration with the Coptic Church to not repeat the baptisms administered in their respective churches. Francis also said Egypt is “a beacon of hope and refuge,” according to The Catholic Register, and “peace between Christians and Muslims in Egypt, he said, is a sign of the country’s identity ‘as a land of civilization and a land of covenant.’”

Other coverage of Egypt in the international media worth noting in brief:

• There is no clarity yet on the international forces that will facilitate security in in four zones in Syria, Sputnik says. A source says Algeria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, as well as the BRICs and the CSTO countries could participate.
• An Egyptian artist claims he created the world’s biggest Koran, reproducing it on a 700 metre-long paper scroll, Reuters says. The artists, Saad Mohamed, “wants to submit his Koran for inclusion in Guinness World Records … there is so far no record holder for the largest handwritten version.”