FRANCISCANS IN EGYPT. The history of the Franciscans in Egypt
goes back to 1219 when Saint Francis met Sultan al-Malik al-
Kamil (1218-1238) near the city of Damietta. Francis had gone to
Damietta with the Crusaders, but with the aim of spreading the
message of peace proclaimed by Jesus Christ. For a few years he
had been thinking of a Franciscan presence in the Muslim world,
which he conceived as a peaceful coexistence with the native
population. Franciscans' life of ardent prayer, of brotherly
love, of poverty and meekness would be a testimony to the
Gospel. In that same year, Saint Francis inaugurated the Order
Province of the Orient to encompass Cyprus, Syria, Palestine,
and Egypt, later to become the Custody of the Holy Land. Not
much is known about the first four hundred years of Franciscan
presence in Egypt. Certainly it was not a continuous one. Around
1630 two groups of Franciscans started their life and activity
in the land of the Nile and established a presence that has not
since been interrupted.