Today, Monday, funeral prayers for Metropolitan Athanasios, Metropolitan of Marseille and Toulon, for the French Copts, were held at the Church of Saints Athanasius the Apostolic and Pope Kyrillos VI, for the French Copts, in Sarcelles, Paris.
The funeral prayers were prayed by the bishops of the church, H.E. Metropolitan Wissa, Metropolitan of Baliana, H.G. Bishop Bernaba, Bishop of Turin and Rome, Italy, H.G. Bishop Louka, Bishop of French Switzerland and southern France, and H.G. Bishop Mark, Bishop of Paris and northern France.
H.G. Bishop Bernaba delivered a condolence speech in which he presented His Holiness the Pope’s condolences to the congregation, while H.G. Bishop Louka delivered a condolence speech in French, then in Arabic.
Father Bishoy Sourial, priest of the French Coptic Church in which the prayers were held, participated in the prayers, as well as the congregation of the Diocese of Paris and Northern France, and a number of priests and monks.
The bishop of the Armenian Church in Paris and the priest of the Ethiopian Church participated in the prayers from the sister churches.
