Cooperation Agreement between the Biblioteca Ambrosiana and the Papal Central Coptic Library in Egypt

On September 26 the Ambrosiana Library and the Coptic Central Papal Library of Wadi el Natrun in Egypt signed a cultural cooperation framework agreement to promote joint research and development projects relating to their respective collections.
The agreement was signed in the official residence of the Coptic Patriarch in Cairo by the Vice Prefect of the Ambrosiana Library – Msgr. Francesco Braschi, delegated by the Prefect mons. Marco Navoni – and His Holiness Tawadros II, Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church – Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, who personally wanted and promoted this agreement, after having visited the Ambrosiana Library in Milan.

Thanks to the protocol now signed, the two institutions will share knowledge and information on innovative techniques for the conservation of ancient and medieval manuscripts, on digitization, cataloguing, data entry and archive procedures, both at a general level and on individual projects, and will encourage exchanges. They will be able to organize conferences, seminars, courses and other events of a cultural and scientific nature with the aim of enhancing the manuscript and book heritage available in both libraries.
“This agreement represents an event of great ecclesial and cultural relevance – states Monsignor Francesco Braschi -, because, while it attests to the Coptic Church’s desire for knowledge and collaboration with cultural institutions belonging to the Catholic Church, it also underlines the paradigmatic and historical value of the Library Ambrosiana as a place capable of proposing a profitable, singular and lasting model for the promotion of a culture that arises from the Christian faith and the passion for the human person, a creature of God and made for dialogue and brotherhood”.