Today, Sunday, H.H. Pope Tawadros II consecrated the Church of Queen Helena in Maadi, that is affiliated to the Maadi Diocese. H.H. gifted some relics of Queen Helena to the consecrated church.

Upon his arrival at the church, His Holiness removed the curtain from the commemorative plaque that dates its consecration. Commemorative photos were taken of H.H. next to the plaque, along with His Eminence Bishop Daniel, Metropolitan of Maadi, the Secretary of the Holy Synod, and the priests of the consecrated church.
Then, the procession of His Holiness went inside the church to begin the consecration prayers. An altar was consecrated in the church on the first floor, named after Queen Helena, and another altar in the church on the ground floor, named after the Virgin Mary, as well as the eastern part of the altar , the iconostasis, and the icons in both churches.
In his speech after the consecration, His Holiness gave thanks to the church’s priests and council, deacons, and to the engineers and technicians who participated in the construction and equipment of the church.

H.H. pointed out that during His Holiness’s visit to Germany in May, 2019, he visited Trier, which is located on the border between Germany and France, the region to which Saint Athanasius the Apostolic was exiled, and there the Bishop of Trier gave him part of the relics of Saint Helena, and His Holiness read the text of the document on the relics. Then, His Holiness the Pope, His Eminence Bishop Daniel, and the bishops signed the document of consecrating the church.
His Holiness delivered the liturgy sermon and on the occasion of the Feast of the Cross, H.H. addressed two meanings of the cross, namely:

1- The cross is mercy and forgiveness: as the psalmist says: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭11‬)
This is the vertical dimension of the “Mercy” cross.
“As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭12‬ )
This is the horizontal dimension of “forgiveness”.

2- The cross is divine love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬)
The divine love that comes from heaven to us on earth pours into the heart, and that is when we approach the cross, and this is the vertical dimension of the cross.
““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” (Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬)
That is, love for others, even enemies, and this is the horizontal dimension of the cross. We take from God’s love for us with the cross so that we can love others, even those who are different than us.
His Holiness the Pope was also keen to congratulate our Muslim brothers on the occasion of fasting the month of Ramadan, which begins in a few days from now.
H.H. said in his congratulations: “I take the opportunity to congratulate our Muslim brothers on the upcoming fasting of Ramadan, which comes after three or four days.”
H.H. then concluded: “Our Lord makes all our days merry, and all of us, as Egyptians, are happy in our country, our land, our churches, our mosques, and our lives, the sacred life that we live and distinguish Egypt among all the countries of the world. May God protect you and bless your life and always be happy.”

After the end of the consecration prayers, His Holiness and the participating fathers prayed the Liturgy of the Feast of the Cross, which the Coptic Church celebrates today, and after the Reconciliation prayer, His Holiness granted the rank of hegumen to four priests of the Maadi Diocese, and they are: Fr. Markoryos Estello, Fr. Samuel Michael, Fr. Dawood Makram and Fr. Kyrillos Naeem.

Along with His Eminence Bishop Daniel, three other general Bishops of Cairo participated in the prayers, H.G. Bishop Yolios, H.G. Bishop Angelos and H.G. Bishop Mikhael and a number of priests.

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