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Watani
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Watani
Coptic Church mourns 20 Syrians martyred at Damascus church in suicide bombing
The Coptic Orthodox Church issued a statement on 22 June mourning the 20 martyrs who lost their lives earlier that day in a suicide bombing in the church of Saint Elias in Damascus,Syria. The statement read: 'The Coptic Orthodox Church, led by Pope Tawadros II, bids farewell to the martyrs of Syria as they march towards the paradise of eternal joy. These martyrs fell as a result of the treacherous suicide bombing that took place inside the church of Saint Elias in the Douilaa in Damascus, Syria on Sunday 22 June 2025. 'We condemn the heinous bombing and all similar forms of violence, intimidation, and the stripping of any human being of their natural right to live in safety. The blood of the righteous Abel continues to cry out, bearing witness to human injustice towards fellow humans when evil takes control and the scale of righteousness is upset, so as to leading to a belief that killing is a good deed that pleases God. 'We pray that the comfort of the Holy Spirit fills the heart of our brother, His Beatitude Patriarch John X Yazigi, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Greek Orthodox Church, as well as the hearts of the martyrs' families. May the Lord grant a swift recovery to the wounded, and may He bestow peace and calm upon beloved Syria, our region, and the entire world.' According to Reuters, at least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at Mar-Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday 22 June. Syria's Interior Ministry said the suicide bomber was a member of IS, Islamic State. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest. Syria's Health Ministry reported that 52 persons were also injured in the blast. Scenes from inside the church showed destruction, a bloodied floor, and shattered pews and masonry. Local Church sources say the church included between 350 and 400 worshippers that day. Islamic State has been behind several attempted attacks on churches in Syria since Assad's fall. The Syria martyrs have been mourned by Churches in Egypt and all throughout the region, also by the Councils of Egypt and Middle East Churches. They unanimously expressed pain, dubbing the bombing 'a wound in our heart', and expressed fears for Christian presence in the Middle East. The news impacted Copts in Egypt especially hard, since it brought to mind painful memories of a suicide bombing that had occurred in Cairo's Boutrossiya Church on 11 November 2016, also during Sunday Mass, in which 29 lost their lives, and 48 were wounded. But in the Cairo bombing, Egypt's Armed Forces rebuilt the damage in the church and fully renovated it, reopening it for worship by New Year 2017. Blast in Cairo church kills 27, injures 65 Watani International 23 June 2025 Comments comments
Watani
21-06-2025
- General
- Watani
How Mar-Mina's Marble City was discovered… A gripping story
Tomorrow, 21 June 2025, Copts celebrate a feast of Mar-Mina, the feast of consecrating the first church in his name. Watani marks the event by posting this story about the discovery of his tomb and marble city in Egypt's Western Desert. On 20 May 2025, Pope Tawadros II paid a visit to the archaeological site of Abu-Mina, some 60km southwest Alexandria. The sprawling 1000-feddan site [one feddan is equivalent to 4,200sq.m] is home to the tomb of the Coptic saint, the Martyr St Menas (285 – 309AD), commonly known as Mar-Mina; also the magnificent 4th / 5th-century cathedral, churches and city that were built around the tomb, in addition to the modern-day monastery of Mar-Mina. Together with the Pope were Alexandria Governor, Major General Ahmed Khaled; Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathi; Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo Nuria Sanz, and high ranking officials from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). The purpose of the visit was to inspect the project being implemented in the area to reduce the level of the groundwater, a result of agricultural projects in the area, which threatens the archaeological remains at the site. Abu-Mina's had been placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1979, but was in 2001 moved to UNESCO World Heritage in Danger, owing to the detrimental effect of the rising groundwater. Coordinated efforts between the Egyptian government—including the ministries of irrigation and agriculture—and Mar-Mina Monastery have been ongoing to reduce the underground water, but further work still needs to be done. For full details: Saving Mar-Mina's splendid place The martyr An officer in Diocletian's army, the young man who was to become St Menas was posted to Phrygia in Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Brought up as a Christian, he refused to participate in the massacre of Christians ordered by the emperor Diocletian in 303 and fled into the desert, where he lived devoutly for five years. But he saw in a vision that he had to die for his faith; he was tortured and martyred in 309. Tradition has it that the martyr's followers intended to take his remains from Phrygia to Alexandria by ship, then on camelback to his birthplace at Pentapolis in the Libyan Desert. At a spot southwest Alexandria, however, the camel knelt and refused to move on, so this was taken to be Mar-Mina's preordained burial site and there he was laid to rest. The incident explains his famous depiction with two kneeling camels in his icon. Over time, the burial site was forgotten till a local goatherd discovered that a sick goat made an extraordinary recovery after bathing and drinking from a spring at this spot. Word went out about the miraculous spring and other cures occurred, the most famous involving a princess who had suffered from a long sickness. The princess had a vision of St Menas asking her to dig in a nearby spot where she would find his body. The relics of the saint were dug out, and pilgrims began to flock to the site for the blessings of the saint and to drink the healing water. Not long afterwards a church was erected at the site which became a sacred place of pilgrimage and around which a splendid city sprung. The site was later called Abu-Mina by the Arabs, 'Abu' being a corrupted version of the Coptic 'Ava', meaning saint. Magnificent city, splendid basilica The focal point of the city, later dubbed Abu-Mina's, was the small tomb of St Mena. A small compartment was built above the tomb in the early 4th century then, in mid-4th century, the first church was built above that cabin. In the early 5th century a spacious, magnificent church was built on the eastern side by order of Emperor Arcadius who spared no effort or money in decorating and ornamenting it with precious marble, mosaics, and exquisite paintings. A town grew around the church to minister to the pilgrims, replete with churches, elegant houses, inns, bathhouses, water cisterns, and shops and markets. The central basilica was so admired by ancient historians; they called it 'the greatest and most beautiful Egyptian church', 'a masterpiece of Christian art', 'Delight of the people of Egypt', 'the Christian Acropolis', and also the 'Marble City'. The beautiful pavements of the city and its coloured marble columns were unequalled. Emperors Constantine I (312 – 337), Arcadius (395 – 408) and Zeno (457 – 474) left their mark on the city. Pilgrims would take home tiny terracotta flacons, known as ampullae, stamped with an image of St Menas and the two kneeling camels, filled with healing water from the famous spring. The city itself had several channels to transport water from the holy spring to large pools, reservoirs, baths and halls dedicated to receiving patients. The neighbouring land soon turned into fruitful vineyards and orchards in the middle of the desert. The prosperity was brought to a halt by the breakdown in law and order that followed the collapse of Roman rule in North Africa. Tribesmen overran the site, its pilgrims fell victim to robbers, and the beautiful gardens were abandoned. Historian Abul-Makarem wrote that the church stood till the 13th century, then was claimed by the desert sand. The search Mar-Mina's tomb and his Marble City remained ruined for centuries, interred in the sand. It took until the 20th-century for them to be unearthed. Their discovery makes for a gripping story indeed. The wonderful discovery was made by a German archeological expedition that came from Frankfurt to Egypt in 1905 under the leadership of the German biblical archaeologist Monsignor Karl-Maria Kaufmann (1872 – 1951). It should not have been too difficult for Monsignor Kaufmann to find the city; others who preceded him had cast light on the location. The ruined site had more or less retained its name, albeit in a corrupted form; it was known by the local Bedouin as Boumnah. In 1824, the French explorer Jean-Raymond Pacho unknowing passed through the site on his way from Abu Sir to Qasr al-Qatagi, 35 km south of Abu-Mina. He crossed what he described as ruins of an old village that included, under piles of stones, two columns that went back to the Roman era. Other explorers and travellers followed, finding ostraca or pottery made in what they assumed to be the ruined city of Abu-Mina. These relics were studied in Alexandria by the Archaeological Society of Alexandria, founded in 1893. In 1905, the Society's Ralph Carver concluded for the first time that there must be a link between the names Boumnah and Abu-Mina. He decided to go to this Boumnah, took the desert train to Bahij station, and from there walked south for two hours under guidance of one of the Bedouins until he reached a place full of rocks, stones, pottery, and cast bottles. He wrote a report on 26 August 1905, attaching various paintings and drawings of what he had found. Sea of rubble Among the founders of the Archaeological Society of Alexandria was Italian archaeologist Evaristo Breccia. He had been exploring the Western Desert since 1904 in search of Abu-Mina when he met the German expedition led by Monsignor Kaufmann. And here Breccia wrote: 'We had to humbly withdraw before the expedition led by Monsignor Kaufmann who came to Egypt to pursue the same goal, because his expedition possessed material capabilities and medical preparations that I did not have.' Yet Monsignor Kaufmann and his men faced great difficulties. They had trekked the desert on camelback for 30 days from Wadi al-Natroun to the site of Abu-Mina, then camped there in tents placed at their disposal by the Egyptian government, and which flew the Egyptian and German flags. Monsignor Kaufmann In his book 'The Holy City in the Desert', published in German in 1914, Monsignor Kaufmann gave a precise description of what he saw: 'We went around the area and saw a sea of rubble, and there was almost no stone on top of another. The heaped hills of rubble were distinguished by their gray colour from the yellow surrounding desert. When we stood on the highest rubble hill, we saw that the destruction of the place had been so complete that its rediscovery was a work that needed great courage.' For months, the expedition dug out ruin after ruin, but failed to find what they were looking for. Kaufmann fell ill. Stressed and disappointed, the men thought about returning to their country in despair. They said farewell to their Bedouin guide, but then a Bedouin boy came with an intact flacon of St Menas, and gave it to Ewald Falls, Monsignor Kaufmann's assistant, saying that he had found it in one of the ancient pottery ovens near the place they had been digging. Discovery! The expedition went back to working with zeal. Finally, one of the Bedouins guided them to a spot they called the Caliph's Castle, which was a huge heap of stones. Excavation beneath it revealed the remains of the church built by the Coptic Pope Theophilus (385-412 AD). This great discovery was made on 7 July 1905, after which the expedition returned to Alexandria to organise its work to resume excavation in November that same year. They unearthed the 5th-century marble city which Monsignor Kaufmann dubbed the 'Christian Acropolis'. In 1906-1907, the German expedition discovered the tomb of St Menas and the grand church, also the cemetery and its church, and the plantations. In 1907, they discovered the baths, and found the huge bathhouse next to the church. They also found many scattered wells, houses, and shops that confirmed the image of the site as a fully fledged, magnificent marble city. Monsignor Kaufmann dubbed it the 'Christian Acropolis'. It took till the 1960s, however, for Abu-Mina to regain its status as a pilgrimage site. In 1959, St Pope Kyrillos VI became Patriarch of Alexandria; he held a deep seated interest in honouring Mar-Mina by building a modern monastery on the grounds of Abu-Mina. He was able to accomplish that in collaboration with the Mar-Mina Society for Coptic Studies in Alexandria which was founded in November 1945. Today, the modern Mar-Mina Monastery boasts two churches that house the relics of Mar-Mina and St Pope Kyrillos, and all the amenities of a thriving monastic site, in addition to excellent visitor facilities. It stands a few kilometres distance—a safe archaeological buffer—from Abu-Mina site. —————— Mina Badie Abdel-Malek is member of Mar-Mina al-Agaibi Society for Coptic Studies in Alexandria, and Professor of Engineering at Alexandria University . Watani International 21 June 2025 Comments comments
Watani
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Watani
Australia federal ministers join Global Coptic Day in Sydney
To mark the feast of the Entry of the Holy Family into Egypt and the Global Coptic Day, both celebrated on 1 June, the St Wanas Coptic Orthodox congregation in Sydney together with their priest Father Suriel Hanna, held a celebration at their church in the neighbourhood of Plymore, west of Sydney. Fr Suriel and the congregation were elated to welcome leaders from all levels of the Australian government, including Tony Burke, Federal Minister for Home Affairs, Immigration, Multiculturalism, Cybersecurity and the Arts; Sophie Cotsis, Minister for Industrial Relations, Occupational Health and Safety in the New South Wales State Government; and Rachel Harika, Member for the Council of Canterbury/Bankstown. Fr Suriel extended his best wishes to the church's congregation, and welcomed the attending Australian ministers. He was keen to mention that the Orthodox Church prays a litany for the leaders of our countries, asking God to grant them wisdom and zeal to carry out their publicity duties. Mr Burke gave a speech which he started with the greeting 'Christos Anesti', literal for Christ is Risen. He extended his heartfelt wishes to the Copts on the occasion of the Global Coptic Day, and the entry of the Holy Family into Egypt. Father Suriel presented souvenir paintings of the Holy Family to the attending politicians, and thanked them for making the time to visit St Wanas church and partake in the celebrations and activities. The attendants then took commemorative photos. Watani International 2 June 2025 Comments comments Tags: Ashraf HelmyGlobal Coptic Day in Sydney 2025
Watani
09-06-2025
- General
- Watani
Mayor of New York visits Anba David for Global Coptic Day
Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City and Chief Executive of New York, paid a visit to the Coptic Orthodox Bishop David of New York and New England on 31 May 2025 at the church of the Holy Virgin Mary of Zaitoun. Mr Adams came to wish Copts a happy Global Coptic Day, an annual occasion marked by the Coptic Church on 1 June, a date which coincides with the Coptic Feast of the Entry of the Holy Family into Egypt. The first Global Coptic Day was celebrated on – June 2019. Bishop David welcomed Mr Adams, and spoke about the origins of the Coptic Church which was established in Egypt in the first AD century at the hands of St Mark the Apostle who was martyred in Alexandria in 68AD. The Bishop also cited the Bible on the flight of the Holy Family Flight into Egypt. He presented Mr Adams with a commemorative gift, a Coptic painting of the Holy Family in Egypt. Mr Adams praised the Coptic Church and community for their engagement in American society. He also recalled the customs and traditions of Egypt during his trip to Cairo ten years ago when he was working with the American police. Global Coptic Day has been celebrated over the past weekend and this week with sports and social activities, entertaining games for youth and children, and the delicious Egyptian meals, desserts, pastries, and baked goods that Egypt is famous for. Watani International 2 June 2025 Comments comments Tags: Ashraf HelmyEric Adams New York Mayor meets Coptic Bishop David
Herald Malaysia
14-05-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Jubilee of Eastern Churches: Divine Liturgy in the Coptic Rite
His Beatitude Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Catholic Copts and President of the Assembly of Patriarchs and Bishops of Egypt, presides over the Divine Liturgy of the Coptic Rite on the occasion of the Jubilee of Eastern Churches in the Pauline Chapel of St. Mary Major. May 14, 2025 The Divine Liturgy in the Coptic Rite at St. Mary Major on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Eastern Churches By Antonella PalermoA penitential dimension, intercessory prayer, and monastic tradition—these were the hallmarks of the Coptic Divine Liturgy celebrated this afternoon, May 12, in the Pauline Chapel of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, right beside the tomb of Pope Francis. The celebration was presided over by His Beatitude Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Catholic Copts and President of the Assembly of Patriarchs and Bishops of Egypt. Also present were Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches; his personal secretary, Father Emanuel Sabadakh; and Archbishop Filippo Ciampanelli, Undersecretary of the same Dicastery. Important moment for the Jubilee This Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Eastern Churches, which will culminate with an audience with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday, May 14. With the arrival of Christianity in Egypt, 'Copt' came to mean 'Egyptian Christian,' referring to those who remained Christian after the Arab conquest of Egypt. It was to these people, who endured great suffering and martyrdom, that the Cardinal turned his attention today, exalting their courage and their profound value. The Cardinal highlighted the martyrdom suffered by the Copts and by other Catholics of Eastern rites. 'You are very experienced in martyrdom,' Cardinal Gugerotti said. 'You've had many martyrs, and even recently, some Copts were killed and became known only because they happened to be recognized. Others remained unknown.' The Cardinal spoke of the 'passionate history' of this Church, which can be seen in its ancient roots and diversity, in its monasticism that spread across the world, in the uniqueness of its liturgy, and also in the many sufferings endured throughout the history of their land. Yet, despite all of this, 'you remained.' Cardinal Gugerotti pointed to certain reasons why these Christians managed to survive and were not uprooted from their homeland. A wisdom born of the blood of martyrdom On behalf of the entire Catholic Church, the Cardinal Prefect thanked them for their steadfast witness: 'My role, from brother to brother,' he stressed, 'is to tell you that this is your home. When you pass through the Holy Door and when you pray—as you did at the start of this celebration—you can be proud of how these prayers resonate in the capital.' He also exhorted them to "pray with intensity, because you too need hope. Everywhere we look, we feel surrounded by the possibility of evil. But we will come to ask you how you managed to survive. These have been terrible years—years of massacres—but you made it. Perhaps it was the blessing of the Holy Family of Egypt, or the great saints and theologians, or a deep identification with the land of Egypt from which your name and your deep faith come—faith that moved mountains. Perhaps it was the tireless work of creating a Coptic Church. The fact is, there is a wisdom in your blood that is precisely the fruit of your blood.' A precious part of the Church Cardinal Gugerotti invoked the Lord's protection 'from new difficulties,' so that the Copts' belonging to the Catholic Church would not only be a source of pride but also reflect a sense of being a precious part of the global Catholic community. He offered reassurance that the Church 'cares' about them. He also encouraged their important mission: 'Be yourselves. Within the Catholic Church, you preserve a unique spiritual experience. God does not count how many people are present—He counts the quality of their presence. This Jubilee,' he emphasized, 'should be an occasion for holiness, so that this holiness, like martyrdom, may be an experience that purifies the Church.' In memory of the late Pope Francis, and praying for our Pope Leo XIV The memory of the late Pope Francis was explicit in both the Cardinal's and the Patriarch's words, as were their hopes for the new Successor of Peter, who will receive members of the Eastern Churches in audience during their Jubilee celebrations from today through Wednesday, May 14. His Beatitude Sedrak, in deep spiritual communion with the faithful in Egypt and those in the diaspora, spoke of Pope Francis as a 'pastor of wisdom who reached wounded hearts in the Church and in humanity, starting from places of fragility. Thanks to his pontificate, many breathed the air of the Gospel.' He then gave thanks for Pope Leo XIV, and offered the prayer that 'the Holy Spirit may guide him as He guided Saint Peter in the early Church.' Hope for a planet freed from the greed of profit The Patriarch strongly emphasized Pope Francis's efforts toward 'reconciliation with our common home'—a direction they intend to continue pursuing with determination. In particular, he echoed the words of the UN Secretary-General in describing the planet as a 'boiling world,' stressing that it does not need illusions but rather authentic hope—hope that does not anesthetize but liberates, 'hope that pushes us to react by overcoming the greed of profit and unchecked globalization.' Hope in world peace 'In the world today, values have become confused. Fear, isolation, and existential anguish dominate—even becoming daily experiences for the faithful,' the Patriarch observed. Yet, he offered reassurance, saying, 'God acts even amid suffering and challenges. Hope drives us to renew our world without surrendering to injustice.' He expressed his hope that we may build societies that are more just and sustainable and embrace 'an economy of life, not of death.' United in the spirit of the Council of Nicaea Finally, he offered a reflection on the upcoming 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea—a milestone in the Church's history, where Saint Athanasius made a crucial contribution in defending the divinity of Christ. 'This calls us to remain firm in our faith with courage and wisdom and to be, in turn, witnesses of Christ.' His Beatitude Sedrak concluded by entrusting to God his prayer that the Church, guided by the new Holy Father, may remain on this 'one,' 'holy,' 'catholic,' and 'apostolic' path.--Vatican News
