Coptic pope in Ireland ahead of Cahir visit

The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church arrives in Ireland today ahead of a visit to Tipperary.

Pope Tawadros II will be welcomed by the President at Aras an Uachtaráin and will also meet with the Foreign Affairs Minister in Dublin.

On Saturday the Pope of Alexandria will then visit St Mina Coptic Church in Cahir which is one of only four in Ireland and the only one outside a major city.

The trip comes just over a year before head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis is expected to visit Ireland.