Pope Francis’ visit is on Egyptian columnists’ minds

As Pope Francis’ arrival in Omm El Donia inches closer, the avalanche of commentary on the visit is gaining speed. Al Masry Al Youm’s Ahmed El Gamal looks at the visit through a cultural and historical lens and says it will be another landmark in Egypt’s long religious history. Ashraf Sadek takes to the pages of Al Ahram to laud Pope Francis for following through on the visit despite “false” security threats, while Tarek El Sheikh echoes the same general sentiment in a conspiracy theory-infused column penned for the same newspaper.