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Egypt Today
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
On Easter, President prays for Egypt to remain a beacon of tolerance, coexistence
A file photo of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Pope Tawadros at Christmas celebrations – Presidency CAIRO – 20 April 2025: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Egyptian Copts as they mark Easter Sunday, praying for continued tolerance across the nation. 'I wish you a happy holiday filled with goodness and blessings, and may your families enjoy happiness and joy,' the president said in a message on his social media accounts. 'I pray that Allah preserves Egypt and its people, keeping it a beacon of tolerance and coexistence among all its citizens.' He also prayed that 'the values of love and peace flourish, uniting us under the banner of one homeland.' 'Happy Easter to you all.' As Egyptian Copts celebrate Easter, Head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II led the Easter mass at Saturday night at the St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district. A representative of President Sisi attended the mass, alongside various ministers, high-level state officials, diplomats, public figures, and media professionals, joining hundreds of Christian worshippers.
Egypt Independent
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
‘May God Almighty keep our country safe in such a world of evil': Pope Tawadros at Easter mass
CAIRO, April 19 (MENA) – Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint Mark Diocese said he is always praying for abundant love and unity among all the people of Egypt, and for an end to all conflicts and wars wherever they are. 'May God Almighty keep our country safe in such a world of evil,' the pontiff added in a sermon on Saturday while leading the Easter Mass at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district. Pope Tawadros thanked Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Shikeh Ahmed El Tayyeb, former Interim President Adly Mansour, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, as well as the speakers of the House of Representatives and the Senate for their Easter greetings. He also thanked all ministers, provincial governors, heads of national councils, leaders of political parties, heads of universities and judicial bodies, as well as members of the police and armed forces, diplomats, representatives of media outlets, and public figures for their Easter greetings and good wishes. Earlier today, Pope Tawadros led the Easter Mass, in the presence of a presidential representative and a great host of ministers, senior statesmen, diplomats, and public and media figures. The pontiff is expected to receive well-wishers on Easter tomorrow morning at the papal headquarters in Abbasiya. During a phone call with the top church figure yesterday, the grand Imam of Al-Azhar extended Easter greetings to the pontiff and all Christian brothers, noting that these occasions offer a great opportunity to renew the bonds of brotherhood, love, and harmony among all Egyptians. (MENA)
Al-Ahram Weekly
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
One Easter - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church is working to unify the date of Easter celebrations across all Christian denominations. This year, Christians worldwide will celebrate Easter on 20 April, an occurrence that takes place only once every four or five years. Usually, Eastern and Western churches mark the resurrection of Jesus on different days due to differences between the Coptic and Gregorian calendars. Last month, Pope Tawadros II, pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St Mark, called for the unification of the Easter celebratory date worldwide during a reception at St Mark's Cathedral in Abbasiya of a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy. The pope pointed out that the unification of the date is an expression of the unity of Christians' faith. During the meeting, Loan Volbosqua, president of the General Assembly and member of the Romanian Parliament, made the same proposal. Pope Tawadros explained that according to the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, the Church of Alexandria was entrusted with determining the date of Easter each year. The task was fulfilled by pope Alexander, one of the attending patriarchs, and later by pope Athanasius and their successors, who annually sent the Easter date to churches worldwide through the Easter Letters. The Egyptian Church had long excelled in astronomy and mathematics, lending it the expertise to carry out this duty, Pope Tawadros added. The pope noted that the Church of Alexandria determined the date of Easter based on three guiding principles: that the celebration takes place after the vernal equinox, that it occurs following the Jewish Passover — not before or during it — and that it falls on a Sunday. Both Pope Tawadros and Pope Francis, the pope of the Vatican, are in agreement on the unification of an Easter date although some churches are still deliberating the matter, such as in Ukraine and Russia, said Father Rafik Greish, editor of the Catholic newspaper Le Messager. Unifying the Easter date has a spiritual benefit, enabling Christians across the world to celebrate simultaneously, Father Greish said. He noted that in many families, there are both Orthodox and Catholic Christians, and the varying dates for Easter often lead to differing family celebrations. Father Moussa Ibrahim, the spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church, said Easter is a principal celebration for Christians, asserting the need for unifying the date of its marking across all denominations. While asserting that the primary issue concerns astronomical calculations and calendars rather than matters of faith, 'differing celebration dates leave a negative impact', he stated. The Easter matter is of importance particularly for Egyptian communities abroad who celebrate according to the date observed by their home church, often skipping the celebration in their countries of residence. Pope Tawadros has been calling for unifying the date of Easter celebrations for more than 10 years. In 2014, he suggested celebrating Easter on the third Sunday of April annually. He assigned Bishop Bishoi, bishop of Damietta and former secretary of the Holy Synod, with preparing a comprehensive study on its feasibility. Bishop Bishoi passed away in October 2018. The study, a copy of which was sent to world churches, reported that in the early centuries of Christianity's expansion, church traditions avoided celebrating Easter on the same date as the Jewish Passover. The discrepancies in Easter dates across the Christian world were motivated by a desire to resist attempts at Judaisation among Christians, the study added. 'Currently, there is no threat of fixing a date for Easter celebrations because Christianity has firmly established itself, and early Judaisation concerns no longer pose a risk to the Christian faith,' the study stated. In 2018, during one of Pope Tawadros' pastoral visits abroad, he said: 'We proposed that the unified date be set for the third Sunday of April, while some churches suggest it should be on the second Sunday. We are awaiting the consensus of all churches.' The following year, a Coptic channel in Germany discussed with Pope Tawadros the issue, especially since Copts in the Eastern world celebrate Christmas on 7 January while the majority of the West mark the occasion on 25 December. 'In Egypt, 7 January is an official holiday. Egyptian Copts residing abroad feel like a minority in their new societies because this date is a regular working day in the West. This is an issue we wish to study within the Holy Synod to explore what can be done to assist our Copts in adapting to their new circumstances,' Pope Tawadros said. * A version of this article appears in print in the 10 April, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Watani
06-02-2025
- General
- Watani
Pope at funeral of Anba Aghapius who 'lived up to his name'
A large congregation and numerous members of the Coptic clergy, led by Pope Tawadros II, gathered at St Mark's Cathedral in Abassiya, at noon on Wednesday 5 February to bid farewell to Anba Aghapius, Metropolitan of Deir Muwwas and Dalga, who passed away on 4 February. Anba Aghapius who had been ill for a few months, passed away at the good old age of 81, in a Cairo hospital. The late Anba Aghapius was born in April 1944 in Zagazig in the eastern Nile Delta. He earned a degree in Agriculture from Cairo University in 1968, and pursued a successful career in his field. In December 1977, he took orders in the Western Desert monastery of Anba Bishoy, under the name Fr Wissa. In 1988 he was consecrated Bishop, and was seated in the Diocese of Deir Muwwas and Dalga in 1989. He was promoted to Metropolitan at the hands of Pope Tawadros in 2022. Pope Tawadros presided over the funeral service. 'With the hope of resurrection, we bid farewell to this blessed father, Anba Aghapius,' the Pope said, offering his condolences to all congregation and friends of Anba Aghapius. He meditated on the verse 'As soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.' (Luke 1:23), commenting that the moment of the departure of loved ones is a unique moment, like the sounding of an alarm alerting us that life will end, and each one of us will return to his home. 'It makes us contemplate and ask ourselves,' he said, 'Have I prepared for this day?' The Pope said that, when a person passes away, 'we wonder, what did he leave behind. A good memory? Good relationships? Useful work? Service that built and raised generations? Truth is, we distinctly find all of this in His Grace Anba Aghapius, whose name literally derives from 'love'.' Anba Aghapius, the Pope said, lived up to his name; he served his community and his country as layman, then as a monk at the monastery of Anba Bishoy, then as the monastery's secretary from 1981 to 1985, a delicate period during which the Church and the country went through the famous crisis of 1981 [when President Sadat imprisoned some 1,600 intellectuals and public figures who held views opposing his, and exiled Pope Shenouda III to the desert monastery of Anba Bishoy.] Pope Tawadros pointed out that Anba Aghapius dealt with this crisis with wisdom, love and steadfastness. 'Anba Aghapius lived his ministry loving and serving the needy and the poor, in the Diocese of Deir Muwwas and Dalga,' the Pope said, describing it as a blessed diocese that shaped saints. 'Anba Aghapius made his diocese an active diocese while he faced many difficulties, yet never complained; he was always 'Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2)'. Pope Tawadros offered his condolences and that of the Holy Synod, the clergy and Coptic organisations, to the priests of the Diocese of Deir Muwwas and Dalga and their congregations, and to Anba Aghapius's blessed family. The Pope assigned Anba Demetrius, Bishop of Mallawi, Ansena and Ashmounin, with the responsibility of papal vicar of the Diocese of Deir Muwwas and Dalga. Anba Danial, Bishop of Maadi and Secretary of the Holy Synod, offered thanks on behalf of the priests of the Diocese of Deir Muwwas and its congregation, to His Holiness the Pope for his kindness in praying for their late beloved metropolitan. He also thanked the members of the Holy Synod, the heads of the Coptic monasteries, sister Churches, Islamic religious leadership and State officials as well as the representatives of the House of Representatives and the Senate in Minya, and the governor, Major General Emad Kadwani, for the condolences they offered for the passing of Anba Aghapius. Watani International 6 February 2025 Comments comments Tags: Anba AghapiusAnba Aghapius Deir MuwwasMichael Girgis
Arab Times
26-01-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Pope Tawadros congratulates Kuwait Amir on assuming rule
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 26: As Kuwait prepares for its National and Liberation Day celebrations and approaches the first anniversary of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad assuming leadership, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church extended heartfelt congratulations to His Highness. In his message, the Pope praised Amir's wisdom, virtuous conduct, and leadership, saying: 'With our hearts, we congratulate Your Highness on your first year of assuming this responsibility, which you fulfill with love and construction, filling the history books with your efforts for peace in the world. We pray to God to protect you as you continue your journey for Kuwait and the world as an example of love and tolerance.' The Pope highlighted the Amir's dedication to raising Kuwait's status and fostering unity, emphasizing his commitment to the nation's prosperity. He also lauded the enduring and fruitful cooperation between Egypt and Kuwait during His Highness's tenure, underscoring their shared history, mutual respect, and close coordination in Arab, regional, and international forums. Pope Tawadros recalled the historical warmth of Kuwaiti-Egyptian relations, noting Kuwait's pioneering role in hosting an Egyptian church, making it a symbol of coexistence and tolerance. He emphasized the love and security experienced by the Egyptian community in Kuwait, referring to Kuwait as their second home. Reflecting on his 2017 visit to Kuwait, Pope Tawadros described the country as a model of generosity and hospitality, adding that he cherished the warmth and admiration he witnessed firsthand. While circumstances have delayed a return visit, he expressed his deep affection for Kuwait and its leadership, commending the Al-Sabah family's guidance toward a bright and stable future. On regional and international challenges, the Pope reaffirmed his prayers for the preservation and stability of Gulf countries, including Kuwait, recognizing their efforts in promoting peace and security through diplomacy. Pope Tawadros also spoke about the unity of Egyptians, Christians and Muslims, following the visit of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, during Christmas celebrations. The Pope expressed his appreciation for this fraternal spirit and the shared national fabric of Egypt. Additionally, he lauded Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's attendance at Christmas celebrations, describing it as a testament to the strong bonds of unity and a source of immense joy for Christians in Egypt and beyond. 'With his presence, the holiday became two holidays,' he remarked, emphasizing the unmatched love and solidarity of the Egyptian people in overcoming challenges together. Pope Tawadros concluded by commending the Egyptian government's efforts under Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, particularly the progress in industrial projects, calling them a 'very beautiful thing.' He emphasized that Egypt's strength lies in its shared affection and unwavering unity.
