On Saturday 9 November 2024, Pope Tawadros II presided over the first Liturgy held at what will be the new administrative and service headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt: the Church of Mar-Marcos (St Mark) and Pope Kyrillos VI, still under construction at Muthalath al-Amal (literally “Triangle of Hope) in the Sixth Settlement of New Cairo. New Cairo is a sprawling satellite town east of Cairo.
The Pope gave a word in which he said: “This is an important day in the history of the Coptic Church and the nation.”
He went on to explain the circumstances which had led to that memorable moment. He said that the atrocious attack waged by Muslim extremists against St Mark’s Cathedral in Abassiya, Cairo, in April 2013, when Egypt was under the post-Arab Spring Muslim Brotherhood regime, drew attention to the fact that the Cathedral was located in a neighbourhood the posed hazards to its security. Its location in central Cairo where population is dense, and traffic is always heavy and more-often-than-not congested, and with a gas station almost adjacent to it, the Cathedral was not easily secured. Security officials advised that it was necessary to think about relocating the Church headquarters to a wider, less densely populated area.
“We submitted a request to the Prime Minister at the time, Ibrahim Mahlab, to allocate land to the Coptic Church to fill this purpose,” Pope Tawadros said. “This land, some 30 feddan (1 feddan = 4,200sq.m) was allocated to us in Muthalath al-Amal and, by the end of 2014, the New Urban Communities Authority approved the allocation. In 2015, a presidential decree was issued allocating the land to St Mark’s Cathedral in Abassiya.
“However, owing to the terrorism Egypt was battling on all fronts at the time, and the many martyrs mourned by the nation—among them the 21 Copts martyred for their Christian faith in Libya—the time was not right to start building our new headquarters.
“As conditions mellowed, a general project was planned and designed to build on the allocated land buildings that would house all the departments and institutions needed by the Church.”
First and foremost, the project included a church. “It is this church where we celebrate the Holy Liturgy today,” Pope Tawadros said, “that is the nucleus of the project which will extend into the future. It has been named after St Mark, and Pope Kyrillos VI (Pope in 1959 – 1971, who was canonised in 2013).
As to the new administrative and service headquarters of the Church in Muthalath al-Amal, the Pope explained that it is the eighth headquarters of the Coptic Church, and will complement the new papal headquarters at the Cathedral of Nativity of Christ in the New Administrative Capital.
The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, the Pope said, became a venue for celebrating religious occasions, “also where we receive the President every year on Christmas Eve. The Cathedral is also the place where new bishops are ordained.”
As for the new Church in Muthalath al-Amal region, it will become the headquarters of the Coptic Church in general, housing all the Church administrations, institutions, the Holy Synod, and others.
It will house the Coptic Orthodox Clerical College [Seminary], the Coptic Studies Institute, the Care and Education Institute, and the Coptic Music and Melodies Institute. It will also house a library, theatre, official guest house, the Coptic Endowments Authority, the Coptic Church administrative headquarters, the Papal Office, the Holy Synod headquarters, a lodge for bishops and another for priests; also headquarters for the bishoprics of general services, youth, childhood and education, Christian family, and diaspora Copts.
The construction works for three buildings have been completed, along with the church building where the opening Holy Liturgy was held, whereas the licensing for the remaining buildings is underway.
“We have faith that God works and manages our lives, and we will continue to serve despite the struggles of the enemy of good,” Pope Tawadros concluded.
_______________
Esited from: Watani International
