Today (Saturday), H.H. Pope Tawadros II prayed the first Liturgy at the Church of Saint Mark and Pope Kyrillos VI (currently under construction) in the new Administrative and service Headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church, located in the Hope Triangle, New Cairo.
Upon his arrival, His Holiness unveiled the commemorative plaque that marks the first Liturgy in the Triangle of Hope area. A commemorative photo was taken of him for this historic event, surrounded by several bishops.
21 Metropolitans and Bishops, along with the patriarchal representatives of Cairo and Alexandria, several priests, the choir of deacons from the Anba Rewis Theological Seminary, a number of monks, abbesses, consecrated male and female servants, archons, professors from theological colleges and institutes, as well as representatives from various Church bodies, organizations, and Coptic schools participated in the Liturgy.
In his sermon during the Liturgy, Pope Tawadros said: “This is an important day in the history of our nation and the Church. Today, all of us present here will be witnesses to our participation in the first Liturgy held on this land.”
His Holiness went on to explain the circumstances that led to the decision to allocate land for a new center for the Coptic Orthodox Church in this location. This idea arose after the St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiya was subjected to attacks in April 2013. Given that it is situated in a densely populated area with heavy traffic, and with a fuel station nearby, some officials advised considering the relocation of the Church headquarters to an area relatively far from high-density populations and with more spacious grounds.
He added, “We submitted a request to the Prime Minister at the time, Engineer Ibrahim Mahlab, to allocate land, and 30 acres were designated in the Triangle of Hope area. We received approval from the New Urban Communities Authority at the end of 2014. In 2015, Presidential Decree No. 170 was issued, officially allocating the land as an annex to St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiya.”
Pope Tawadros explained: “Due to the terrorism that Egypt was vigorously fighting at the time—we cannot forget the martyrdom of the Egyptians in Libya in 2015, during a period when the nation was striving to recover—we waited. Then, once conditions improved, we began taking steps by building a 1.5-kilometer-long wall along four streets and preparing a master plan for the area, which includes all the administrative buildings and institutions that the Church needs.”
His Holiness affirmed that this church, where the Liturgy was held, is the foundation of a larger, future-oriented project.
Pope Tawadros said: “History will record that the state in Egypt in our time has cared for its citizens, granting them their rights and striving for equality.” He added, “This situation undoubtedly presents a positive image of Egypt to the world.” His Holiness continued: “The Church is one of the pillars of the nation and Egyptian society. It is a steadfast pillar in both history and patriotism.”
Regarding the new administrative and service headquarters for the Church in the Triangle of Hope, His Holiness noted that it is the Church’s eighth headquarters and will complement the new papal headquarters in the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in the New Administrative Capital.
Pope Tawadros pointed out that the establishment of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in the New Administrative Capital came after His Excellency President Sisi announced it in January 2017, during his greetings to us at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiya for the Nativity Feast celebration. At that time, he promised that we would celebrate the next Nativity Feast in a new cathedral, which indeed happened in January 2018 when His Excellency inaugurated it. Since then, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ has become the venue for celebrations and special occasions, where we welcome the President every year during the Nativity Feast. It is also where we ordain bishops and hold other events, with the papal headquarters attached to it. As for here (in the Triangle of Hope), it is the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church in general, encompassing all the Church’s administrative offices, institutions, the Holy Synod, the Theological Seminary, and more.
His Holiness praised the Church Construction Law, which has allowed hundreds of churches to be built legally after centuries of suffering.
Regarding the choice of the church’s name in the Triangle of Hope, Pope Tawadros mentioned that it was chosen to be named after Saint Mark, our great patron, and Saint Pope Kyrillos VI, whose holiness was recognized by the Synod. He was the one who moved the headquarters of the Church from Azbakiya to the Anba Reweis area in Abbasiya.
His Holiness expressed his sincere gratitude to all those present for responding to the invitation and participating in this historic day. He also extended special thanks to everyone who contributed their efforts to this place in any way, particularly the engineers, as well as those who supported the work through donations (Church members both inside and outside Egypt).
Pope Tawadros concluded: “We have faith that God works and manages our lives. We will continue to serve despite the wars from the devil.”
The land of the Triangle of Hope in New Cairo’s 6th District is the new administrative headquarters for the Coptic Orthodox Church, covering an area of 30 acres. The Church acquired it through a land allocation system to create an additional annex to St. Mark’s Cathedral, as per the Presidential Decree issued in 2015. The plan for the Triangle of Hope land includes the construction of headquarters for the Church’s educational, administrative, and service institutions, while the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in the New Administrative Capital houses the papal headquarters for the Patriarch. The construction of three buildings has been completed, along with the church where the inaugural Liturgy was held. The remaining buildings are in the process of obtaining their licenses.
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