The President of Portugal spoke to the Lusa news agency at a hotel in the province of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, after attending the inauguration of the Great Egyptian Museum. The event took place at the invitation of the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and brought together dozens of high-ranking foreign officials.
Asked whether he is concerned about the messages of intolerance and racism propagated in Portugal, some of which are directed at Muslim communities, and whether this affects the country’s international image, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa highlighted events he described as examples of ecumenism.
“By the end of the year, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Lisbon Central Mosque, to which the President of the Portuguese Republic has been invited and has visited several times, in a spirit of ecumenism, with representatives from the various religions present in our country,” he stated.
He also mentioned that Prince Aga Khan V, the hereditary Imam of Ismaili Muslims, will make a state visit to Portugal “in December, shortly after the mosque celebration,” during which the Ismaili community will gather with him, an event to which the President will also be invited.
According to the President, this “demonstrates that ecumenism, the coexistence of various religions, confessions, and churches,” continues in Portugal.
Asked if, despite these events, he feels intolerance is growing in Portugal, the President replied that he had not heard “any reference to this issue from any of the heads of state” he met during his trip to Egypt.
“But I don’t think so. We are generally tolerant; the vast majority of Portuguese are. Of course, in a democracy, there are various opinions and positions. However, the vast majority remain very open religiously, as well as politically, for two reasons,” he observed.
He noted that “the dominant confessions in Portugal are by far Christian,” including among immigrants, and the Muslim population “is small.”
“Secondly, it is the general nature of the Portuguese. Daily interactions are primarily peaceful, whether in politics, ideology, or religion,” he added.
The Great Egyptian Museum, a megaproject near the Giza Pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, considered the world’s largest archaeological museum dedicated to a civilization, was inaugurated today after nearly two decades of construction, marking the holiday occasion.
Among the dozens of foreign guests were the kings of Spain and Belgium, the presidents of Germany, Portugal, Croatia, and Colombia, the prince of Monaco, and the queens of Jordan and Denmark.
