The Coptic Church is preparing to commemorate the 40 days anniversary of Metropolitan Bishoy’s departure. The services will be headed by Pope Tawadros who couldn’t attend the funeral since he was in a pastoral care visit in the United States of America. Attending the services will be limited to those who received invitations by Bishop Paula of Tanta and supervisor of Damietta diocese. It is worth mentioning that Metropolitan Bishoy was born on July 19, 1942, in Mansoura, and was ordained as bishop on September 24, 1972, and during the reign of Pope Shenouda III, he was appointed as secretary of the Holy Synod and chairman of several Committees.

Extremists in Pakistan demonstrated demanding the killing of 3 judges who acquitted a Christian woman from execution though she was charged with contempt of Islam. This came after the head of Egaz Ashrafi party issued fatwa that the president of the Supreme Court and others responsible for the abolition of the death sentence of Asia Bibi deserve to die.

The Coptic Orthodox Church is exerting great efforts to preserve its right at the monastery of the Sultan after the Israeli forces attacked its monks and seized its monastery in Jerusalem. The church filed a speedy legal action before the Israeli courts. The court issued a quick ruling limiting the size of the work of the restoration as a whole and agreed to send a copy of the official correspondence between the Dangerous Buildings Authority, the Antiquities Authority and the Israeli Religious Bureau. The Egyptian Church will follow the works represented by an authorized engineer in the State of Israel in order to make sure the work doesn t aim to change the Coptic identity of the monastery.

The Australian Coptic Movement has announced that Mahfouz Maximus was appointed its official media spokesperson. Maximus is a Coptic activist that has started his interest in the Coptic issue more than a decade ago and he is working on his PhD in clinical psychology.

A delegation of the Coptic organizations in Europe held a press conference with the participation of EGFM in Berlin to discuss issues of the Copts in Egypt. The delegation included Medhat Kallah, Baha Ramzi, Hosni Babaoui, Issam Obeid and Shereen Kamal. Sheren Kamel, General Coordinator of the Federation of Coptic Organizations in Europe, stressed that the Union is following all developments in Egypt, including what happened recently in Minya, and stressed it always supports equal citizenship in Egypt.

A delegation from MAAT organization discussed the Egyptian culture with European Youth during the conference entitled Youth Fighting Violence and Extremism held in Romania. They discussed the Egyptian experience in fighting violence and extremism in the last few years and the role of media in spreading false information about Egypt.

Police were able to reveal the circumstances of the murder of a Coptic urologist called Nashaat in Deirout, Minya. Investigations revealed that the murderer was previously treated by the doctor, but his conditions was not improved. Therefore, he decided to get rid of him using a white weapon and escaped to Cairo afterwards.

The Coptic Evangelical Organization celebrated yesterday its issuance of the Arab interpretation of the Bible. For his part, Rev. Andria Zaki, head of the Evangelical community in Egypt, said that this interpretation is the first of its kind in terms of being a Middle Eastern interpretation of the Bible, and the books of 48 Middle Eastern authors from different backgrounds.

The Court of Giza issued its ruling today concerning the attack on a church in Atfih and declared all 20 defendants innocent. The defendants included 1 Coptic man who was accused of building unlicensed church and 19 Muslims who were accused of attaching and demolishing the house. Previously, the Coptic Christian man had been fined 360 thousands EGP while the Muslim defendants had been fined only 500 EGP though they gathered and assault on the house and destroyed it provoking sectarian strife.

Dr. Waseem al-Sisi, Coptic writer and researcher, said that the book "Kirlison" of the Egyptian writer Hamdy Rizk is a recipe of love and peace for the Egyptians and documents the history of the Copts during a difficult period. He added that Rizk tried through his book to reveal the idea of conspiracy on the homeland and how Britain tried to divide the region before but collided with the strong solid mass of Muslims and Copts in Egypt, and how this plot succeeded in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya, and failed to destroy the Egyptian army.

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, delegated 4 bishops to attend funeral of Abba Bishoy, Metropolitan of Damietta and Kafr El-Sheikh.

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patirarch of St. Mark See, inaugurated the Church of St. Abanoub and St. Antony in New Jersey. At the ceremony, Pope baptized 6 children and promoted Father Anthonious Takla to the rank of Hegumin.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II honored Senior government officials, and municipal council members of Piscataway, New Jersey. They were honored after the holy mass was celebrated at the church of ST. Moses and St. Abraam at the third day of the holy feast of the cross.

Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, participates in the celebration of the shepherd and mother of light service in New Jersey. The celebration aimed to raise fund to the service that works mainly in the poor villages of Upper Egypt.

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, laid the foundation stone for a new papal headquarters in south of New Jersey. Egypt s orthodox church spokesman said in a statement that Pope Tawadros inspected construction works at St Mary and Prince Tadros El Shatby church that is being built inside the new papal headquarters built on an area of 15 acres.

The Egyptian initiative rejected holding any sessions of reconciliation and putting pressure on the simple Copts by state institutions. statemen issued by the initititve denounced the late interverence of the security forces whether before or after the attacks against the Copts.

Abba Makarios, Bishop of Minya and Abu Qurqas, rejected holding any sessions of reconciliation and putting pressure on the simple Copts. He added that such sessions are waste of rights of the Copts and that he supports the rule of law and equal citizenship advocated by president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

Coptic activists expressed their rejection to holding a customary reconciliation session concerning the attacks on Copts of Demshaw Hashim village. A local organization in the village invited the people of Demshaw Hashim in Minya to accept such reconciliation sessions after police have arrested 19 defendatns on charges of violence attacks on the Copts and storming into their houses to punish them on holding prayers in unlicensed church.

Abba Makarious, Bishop of Minya, visited today the victims of the sectarian attacks of Demshaw Hashim village in Minya. Houses of the victims were attacked and looted and their children were terrified by the attackers. The bishop talked with the victims about forgiveness for the attackers as well as their rights and state duty to punish the attackers by law enforcement and refusing to hold the customary reconciliation sessions that help the attackers escape their due punishment.

Free Egyptians Party issued a statement to condemn the savage attack on Copts of Damshaw Hashim village by fanatics who aim to incite sectarian strife. Statement said that the criminals and terrorists who attacked innocent and peaceful people should be punished according to the law.

Minya prosecution extended the imprisonment of 19 defendants pending investigations of the attack on Copts of Demshaw Hashim village in Minya. The defendants are charged with inciting violence and attacking people refusing to allow them to hold prayers.