The Coptic Church began today the Fasting of the Apostles following 50 days after celebrating the Resurrection. The fasting of the Apostles is the very first fasting celebrated at the church after the Pentecost day, and was considered preparation for ministry all over the world.

The Media Center of the Coptic Orthodox Church announced that the Church will start fasting of the Apostles on Monday after celebrating the Pentecost day on Sunday. It added that new daily episodes of bible study in the Acts will be broadcast for Holiness Pope Tawadros II, and will be broadcast on Coptic satellite channels.

The Coptic Church celebrated the memory of the martyrdom of St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles. St. Thomas the Apostle, also called Didymus (twin), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, and is commonly known as (Doubting Thomas) because he doubted Jesus resurrection when first told of it. According to the tradition, Saint Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Malabar Coast which is in modern-day Kerala, India.

The Churches of Shubra al-Khaimah diocese mourned today the departure of Father Poula Ayyad, priest of the church of St. Pual. The funeral of the late father was held yesterday, and Pope Tawadros has sent a message of condolences to Bishop Markos and congregation and priest of the diocese.

Dr. Amjad Al-Khouly, a consultant epidemiologist at the World Health Organization, said that Egypt will witness dramatic increase in the number of people infected with Coronavirus for neglecting precautionary measures during the holy month of Ramadan. He added that WHO is hoping to reach the peak soon since the vaccine is expiated to take several month to be developed.

The Women s Committee of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church launched an initiative entitled Your time is precious aiming to help women and housewives to make the best of their time during the curfew. The initiative provides several ideas to help women support their families and benefit from their time spent at home.

The Monastery of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Beloved in the Wilderness of Farama, Ismailia Road, celebrated today the feast of St. John the Beloved without the existence of congregation. The celebrations were only attended by monks of the monastery and were headed by Bishop Maqar of Sharkia. During the celebration, Bishop Maqar perfumed the remains of St. John and held the midnight praise and the Holy Mass.

Police in Egypt have been taking extra security measures to secure the celebrations of Eid El-Fetr. This comes with limited feast celebrations this year during the spread of Corona virus. In that account, the authorities decided to close beaches, public parks, shops, malls, restaurants, and areas providing entertainment services.

Dr. Mohamed Awad Taj Al-Din, Advisor to the Egyptian President, said that thousands of people infected with the new Coronavirus are expected to get recovered soon, indicating that 85% of cases in Egypt do not have symptoms or suffer from minor symptoms. He added that Egypt is still in a critical phase and that the citizens should be aware and committed to the prevention and safety instructions in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

Stephenus Milad, lawyer for the family of Rania Abdel Massieh, the disappeared Coptic woman, said that we can not reveal all facts we know about the case, and the matter is currently under investigation. Milad demanded the return of advice and guidance sessions to ensure that their conversion matter is of free will and not under pressure, especially after a video was published showing her saying she decided to convert into Islam.

Egyptian Satellite Channels broadcast the weekly Sunday sermon from various places, and this week they aired the sermon of Bishop Pavly of the Montazah Sector Churches and the supervisor of the youth service in Alexandria. This comes after the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church decided to shut down all churches and to suspend all church activities.

In a report, CNN news channel described the Egyptian New Administrative Capital as the giant project that is a huge achievement for the Egyptian people and for the people of the entire region. It added that it includes many projects, the most prominent of which is the iconic tower which is the tallest tower in Africa and one of its most prominent features, and the design imitates a pharaonic obelisk inspired by ancient Egypt civilization

The Monastery of the Virgin Mary in Muharraq announced in a press release that the monastery is closed before visitors until further notice. This comes following the decision of the Holy Synod to prevent the spread of Corona virus and to protect the congregation.

Egyptian special forces exchanged fire with terrorist fighters near the al-Amireya neighborhood in Cairo who were creating bombs in their hideout location. An officer as well as 7 terrorists were killed and two other policemen were injured in the attack . The terrorist elements were planning to carry out bomb attacks against churches on Easter.

CNN published Monday a 60-second video reviewing Egypt’s economy, in which it stated that Egypt’s economy grew 5.6 percent in 2019, making it one of the world’s fastest growing economies. It added that Egypt is upgrading its economic infrastructure, expanding the strategic Suez Canal, creating free zones, boosting tourism, and investing in green energy. CNN referred to Benban project in Egypt as one of the world’s largest solar complexes and added it is expected to be capable of powering 1 million homes. The project is considered the largest solar power project in the world and was funded by the World Bank with a total value of $653 million. The total value of the project is $2 billion for a total power generation of up to 1600 megawatts. The project is carried out with the participation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a large number of major international companies.

Mustafa Madbouly, Egypt s Prime Minister, said that Egypt will impose a two-week nightly curfew in an effort to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Madbouly added that the state trusts the people s awareness and commitment to face the crisis. During a press conference, he explained that the banning hours will start from eight o clock in the evening instead of seven in the evening to reduce the traffic before the curfew starts.

Pope Tawadros II said in a daily message aired on Coptic Christian TV that God wants us to repent and live. He delivered a sermon about God who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2: 4) He explained that God opened his arms for us on the cross to embrace all mankind.

St. George Church in Suhag held several online meetings with its congregation and offered several online services on its official page on Facebook to compensate the congregation for church gatherings. Bishop Bachom of the diocese has delivered an online sermon last Sunday and Sunday school was held online as well. This comes after worship houses including churches and monasteries were closed and all services were suspended due to Coronavirus.

Egyptian national TV and radio broadcast today speech of Pope Tawadros II on the occasion of celebrating the Healing Week of the Paralyzed Man. The speech was aired on On TV, DMC, CBC, Al-Hayat channels after the Churches and all activities were stopped were closed due to Coronavirus.

The Egyptian government headed by the Prime Minister Dr. Mustafa Madbouly held its first video conference meeting in order to implement decisions to reduce gatherings and social distancing using the infrastructure for digital transformation. He stressed that the government is keen to follow up the implementation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s decisions regarding confronting the new Corona virus. It is worth mentioning that a paid leave was given to employees and workers who move from one governorate to another. The Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Transport to organize the transportation movement, whether trains or the subway, so that the severe crowding witnessed in the first day of the implementation of the curfew will not be repeated.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received monk Luke al-Maqari, father Samuel Milad and Father Jeremiah Fahmy, representatives of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the Vatican, upon their return to Egypt. The three fathers were among the delegation of the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the visit of the Vatican in response to an official invitation.