Bishop Markos of Shubra Al-Khaimah returned to Cairo after a pastoral care visit in Saudi Arabia during which he visited the Copts in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. During his stay in Riyadh, Bishop Markos met with Ahmed Farouk, the Egyptian ambassador in Riyadh. It is worth mentioning that Bishop Markos is the first Coptic clergy to visit the Saudi Arabia ever.

Bishop Bfnotious of Samalout inaugurated the church of St. Salome in Jabal al-Tir, Samalout. Another church was inaugurated in the service building attached to the same church, which carried the name of St. Moses the great.

Family of the disappeared Coptic woman Marina Sami appealed to the Interior Ministry to find their daughter who disappeared last October 18th, from the Gesr Al-Suez area in Cairo. The family said that she got married last June and is pregnant, but she went out of her home to visit her family and go to the doctor and she disappeared since this time.

Bishop Raphael of the Churches of Downtown Cairo denied news about commenting on decision of Bishop Serapion of Los Angeles, regarding the celebration of Christmas on December 24 instead of January 7th. It is worth mentioning that Pope Tawadros has supported the decision assuring that it comes to solve a big problem of the Copts in the West.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, received a group university students from the Diocese of Esna and Armant at the Pontifical Headquarters in Cairo. Pope prayed for them and wished them success their spiritual and practical life.

The Council of Churches of Egypt organized a spiritual meeting for 55 priests representing all Christian denominations in Egypt. The meeting was held at the Church of the Virgin in Izbat Al-Nakhl, Cairo, and discussed ‘Mental Health of priests and the Impact on Spiritual Life’

His Eminence Bishop Paul of Ottawa, Montreal and Eastern Canada, ordained a number of deacons at the basic rank of Ebsaltus translated chanter. This came during the celebration of the holy mass at the church of St. Peter and Paul in Montreal.

Ambassador Nabila Makram Abdel Shahid, Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptians Abroad, congratulated Father Angelos Saad, Priest of the Church of the Virgin and St. Athanasius in Canada for calling his name on Fallingbrook Park in appreciation of his role over 40 years in community service. The Minister of Immigration expressed her pride for the efforts made by Egyptian communities abroad in supporting their homeland.

Bishop Kazaman of North Sinai continues his pastoral tour in Australia which started last November 26 until next week. He visited several churches and headed many celebrations and meetings with the congregation and will visit other churches and monasteries. He was delegated by Pope Tawadros to visit the diocese after the resignation of Bishop Suriel

Monk David of St. Samuel Monastery said that thousands of people have visited the monastery to attend the celebrations of St. Samuel the Confessor, which will continue until tomorrow. Police have taken extra security measures to secure the celebrations. The celebration was attended by Bishops Karas of Mahala and Theodosious of Giza.

His Eminence Anba Bakhoum, the Patriarchal Vicar for the Diocese of the Catholic Church, received the remains of St. Teresa at her church in Mahalla. The reception of the holy remains was marked by great celebration attended by the clergy and the congregation.

Copts of Luxor Governorate celebrated the feast of St. Mattaus Al-Fakhouri at the headquarters of his monastery in Esna in the presence of Bishop Mattaus, head of the monastery. The celebration included perfuming the remains and special prayers and rituals, which was attended by Bishop Youacim of Esna and several clergy and the congregation of the diocese and nearby villages.

Anba Bakhoum, Patriarchal Vicar for the Catholic Patriarchate Affairs, received a German delegation from the Monsieur Commission in the city of Munich. They discussed ways of cooperation between the Patriarchal Diocese and the Authority in the development and the pastoral areas.

Nihra association to revive the Egyptian heritage, headed by Coptic businessman Mounir Ghabour, organized a press conference to announce that ‘Egypt is the Way’ opera show will be held in the largest Theater of Paris on December 19 to celebrate the journey of the Holy Family in Egypt. He added that the Opera will be held later in Rome invited by Pope Francis and then will head to the United States of America. Mounir called the Egyptian government to support the project to revive the path of the holy family and to set June 1st a national holiday to commemorate the entrance of the holy family to Egypt.

Muslims and Christians of Mosul participated in the opening of a church that was destroyed by ISIS after its reconstruction. The church was opened in the city of Mosul in Nineveh Governorate, which is the Church of the Annunciation. The ceremony was attended by the Patriarch of the Catholic Church in the Middle East, Abba Ignatius Joseph III and Archbishop Jonah of Mosul and a number of officials and public figures who came to share peace and spread love.

The Department of Theology and Ecumenical Affairs in the Council of Middle East Churches discussed ‘The Christian Presence in the Middle East Towards a Global Church Charter’, in a consultative session that gathered about 25 experts in theology and geopolitics from Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and Jordan over a period of three days from December 6- 8. The participants called to help the poor and marginalized people and to short, medium and long-term goals in affirming the message of love and peace in a suffering world.

St. Peter Church in Abbasia celebrates next Wednesday the third anniversary of its martyrs who were killed in the terrorist attack back in December 2016, in which 29 people were killed and 38 were injured. The church was visited by several presidents and Popes including Pope of the Vatican.

The Monastery of St. Samuel in Minya opens its doors to visitors for a week to celebrate the feast of its intercessor on December 18th. This comes under extra security measures taken by police to secure the road to the monastery in which two terrorist attacks have targeted visitors of the monastery.

Copts of El Gawly Village in Manfalout Center in Assiut celebrate their annual feast of St. Phlopatir at his monastery. The feast is celebrated by more than 10,000 visitors of the monastery located at Jawli village 22 kilometers north of Assiut and about 7 kilometers south of Manfalut.

Bishop Eremi, head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center, received Mrs. Anita Herczig, First Lady of Hungary, at the headquarters of the Center. She learned about the activities of the Center and visited the Patriarchate Museum, the Coptic Panorama, the Martyrs Shrine and the memorial plaque of Margit Tut, which reflects the relationship between the Hungarian and Egyptian peoples.

Egypt s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received yesterday Abba Ibrahim Ishaq Sedrak, Patriarch of Alexandria for Coptic Catholics and Chairman of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Egypt, and his accompanying delegation, in the presence of the Charge d Affaires of the Vatican Embassy in Cairo. Ambassador Bassam Radi, Spokesman of the Presidency of the Republic, said that the President stressed the keenness of the State to coordinate with all ancient religious institutions to raise public awareness of the challenges facing the countries of the region that threaten its security and stability, stressing the importance of the role played by religious leaders in educating citizens, especially young people. The President affirmed the State s appreciation of the good relations with all Egyptian and international religious leaders of all sects, especially under the current approach of the State in establishing the values of coexistence and freedom of worship.