My beloved in Christ,
Christ is risen, Truly He is risen!
On behalf of myself and the accompanying delegation, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your warm hospitality and my joy in speaking with you today. I am reminded of the words of Saint Paul the Apostle in his epistle to the Colossians: “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” (Colossians 3:14).
We believe that love is the bond that unites people, and it is the power that enables us to achieve unity and peace in the world.
I am grateful for my visit to the Ethiopian Coptic College, as the Ethiopian Church is a sister Church to us. The Egyptian Church has served it for many centuries, since the Coptic Pope Athanasius the Apostolic sent Father Salama as the first bishop to serve the Ethiopian nation. We thank God for our good relationship and pray for peace and stability in Ethiopia. When I visited Ethiopia in 2015, I found the beloved Ethiopian people chanting: “Saint Mark is our father and Alexandria is our mother.”
Our Churches are apostolic churches, and our saints are Saint Peter the Apostle, Saint Mark the Apostle and Saint Takla Hemanot. We rejoice and feel their blessings surround the Churches, along with all the martyrs, for the sake of the world East and West.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to me and the accompanying delegation during our visit. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Thank you.