On so many levels Pope John Paul's visit to Egypt could hardly have been more satisfactory, from everyone's point of view. He successfully completed the beginnings of his intended and extraordinary pilgrimage for this jubilee year.

At Cairo airport last Thursday, he said: "For many years I have been looking forward to celebrating the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ by visiting and praying at the places specially linked to God's interventions in history."

He came to Egypt to visit Mount Sinai where, according to the Bible, in 1300 BC Moses was given the 10 Commandments and was commissioned by God to lead his people from slavery. There on Saturday, "with great joy and deep emotion" in St Catherine's monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai, he was a pilgrim "in the footsteps of God".

Next month he will continue that journey when he visits Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian-controlled territories. Later in the year he intends visiting Ur in Iraq, were it is believed Abraham was born.

Pope John Paul had hoped to visit Iraq first, so conducting his pilgrimage in chronological order as related in the Bible, but attempts to negotiate that visit (strongly opposed by the US) with the Iraqi authorities have so far been unsuccessful.

In the context of Pope John Paul's promotion of better relations with the other great monotheistic religions - one of the most successful initiatives of this papacy - the visit was a tremendous success. The warmth with which he was received by President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday was genuine and generous.

That he was also met at the airport by Grand Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi of al-Azhar, leader of the Sunni Muslims, and the clear affection and respect with which he was received by the sheikh during a courtesy call on Thursday evening, spoke for themselves. That has since been underlined by reports that the sheikh will visit the Vatican this autumn.

Pope John Paul did this while at the same time addressing allegations of discrimination against Christians in Egypt. In some of the most subtly crafted paragraphs of his four addresses during the visit, at the Mass in Cairo on Friday, he emphasised the church's "`disinterested love" in "her commitment to the Egyptian people".

He called for the fostering of friendly relations with the Muslim people, who make up over 90 per cent of the Egyptian population, and, with a skill born of 2,000 years of history, reminded the congregation (and those listening outside) that "all citizens have a duty to play an active part" in the building of society.

It has been alleged that Christians have been excluded from public positions in Egypt, though President Mubarak has made moves to correct this perception.

"Christians and Muslims, while respecting different religious views, should place their skills at the service of the nation, at every level of society," continued the Pope during his homily, basing his argument on the desire of Christians to serve Egypt rather than jumping up and down about "rights".

But there was one area of this visit which was not so successful. Pope Shenouda III, head of Egypt's Coptic (Orthodox) Church, did not meet him at the airport, as was scheduled.

Copts are the largest Christian denomination in Egypt with a population estimated at between five and six million, about 10 per cent of Egyptians.

Before a courtesy call by Pope John Paul to Pope Shenouda's residence on Thursday evening, Metropolitan Bishoi, secretary of the Coptic Church's synod, explained that the absence of the church's head at the airport was because on a visit to the Vatican by Pope Shenouda in 1973 he was not met at the airport by Pope Paul VI.

Metropolitan Bishoi pointed out that the primacies of the Christian world - Rome, Alexandria (Pope Shenouda III), Antioch, Jerusalem, and Constantinople - were equal, though "the primacy of honour" went to Rome, as first among equals.

Media interest in the matter became clear and a planned press conference to be hosted by Pope Shenouda that evening was cancelled minutes before it was to take place.

It was also said that the Copts were angry at Pope John Paul saying the highlight of his visit would be the pilgrimage to St Catherine's monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai on Saturday. The monastery belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church.

Back at the monastery, speculation continued as to whether Archbish op Damianos, in whose Greek Orthodox diocese St Catherine's is situated, would take part in the Roman Catholic service planned for the event.

There were also questions as to whether Pope John Paul would be allowed to conduct the service in one of the monastery's many chapels. He wasn't, though some said this was for space reasons.

Nor did Archbishop Damianos take part in the service, in the monastery's olive grove. The archbishop said his words of welcome before the prayer service, gifts were exchanged, and he left.

At the end of that service, according to supplied scripts, Pope John Paul had planned to thank the Archbishop for his words of welcome and the hospitality of his monks. He had also planned to welcome "his Beatitude Makari, Coptic Orthodox bishop of all Sinai" for his presence. He wasn't present. Both references were dropped by Pope John Paul in his address.

No doubt matters were not helped by Pope John Paul's reference to himself as "the" successor of Peter.

With him at the service, as at the Mass in Cairo on Friday, were representatives of the seven Catholic churches in Egypt: Coptic Catholics (208,000), Latin Catholics (8,000), Roman Catholics (7,000), Maronites (5,000), Syrian Catholics (2,000), Armenian Catholics (1,050), Kildanian (Iraqi) Catholics (population unknown, but small).

All recognise the supreme authority of Rome.

The split with the Coptic Church is one of the oldest in Christendom. It goes back to the fifth century, beginning with an argument over the dual (divine and human) nature of Christ, but soon becoming a clash over the authority of Rome which has not been resolved since. Nor, it is believed, has Pope Shenouda III any real interest in resolving it.

If there is initial consolation at the realisation that the integrity of that quarrel has not been disturbed for well over a millennium, before the dreary steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone pronounced theirs, it is a consolation that soon becomes despair.