H.H. Pope Tawadros II received Dr. Maximos Charakopoulos, Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO) and a member of the Greek Parliament, at the Papal Residence in Cairo. The delegation also included Dr. Ioan Vulpescu, President of the General Assembly and a member of the Romanian Parliament; Dr. Puras, Vice President of the Greek Parliament; Dr. Kostas Midvalis, Advisor and Founder of the Assembly; and MP Dr. Manal Hilal, the first Egyptian Orthodox female parliamentarian to join the international secretariat of the IAO since its establishment almost 33 years ago.
Also present was His Eminence Metropolitan Yoannis, Metropolitan of Zambia and Mozambique from the Greek Orthodox Church, along with a delegation from the IAO, which includes representatives from 25 countries. The delegation included representatives from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Georgia, Jordan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Palestine, Romania, Serbia, Sudan, Estonia, and Zambia.
The delegation’s visit to Pope Tawadros II was part of their official trip to Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian Parliament. Their itinerary included a meeting of the International Secretariat at the Egyptian Parliament and a meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Dr. Maximos Charakopoulos praised Pope Tawadros II’s efforts in supporting Christians in Africa and the Middle East, expressing gratitude for His Holiness’ hospitality. He highlighted the significance of their visit to Egypt, where they received many blessings by visiting sacred sites, including Saint Catherine’s Monastery and the Monastery of Saint Bishoy in Wadi El-Natroun, while also enjoying Egypt’s rich historical heritage. He pointed out the initiative of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy regarding the unification of the Feast of Resurrection celebration for all Christians. Dr. Ioan Volbescu, President of the General Assembly and a member of the Romanian Parliament, presented a proposed draft for the initiative.
For his part, Pope Tawadros welcomed his guests and spoke with them about Egypt and its leadership in the world since the dawn of history. He also highlighted three key characteristics that distinguish the Church of Egypt, which are:
His Holiness the Pope welcomed his guests and spoke with them about Egypt and its leadership in the world since the dawn of history. He highlighted three key characteristics that distinguish the Church of Egypt:
A Church of Teaching and Service: Egypt (specifically Alexandria) was home to one of the oldest theological schools in the world, the Theological School of Alexandria.
A Church of Martyrs: Throughout history, the Church has offered many martyrs, including the 21 young Egyptian martyrs who were martyred in Libya ten years ago.
The Birthplace of Monasticism: Monasticism was established by Saint Anthony, Saint Macarius, and many other saints, and Egypt remains home to numerous monasteries for monks and nuns.
His Holiness also emphasized the importance of the Holy Family’s journey to Egypt, which the Church commemorates annually on June 1st as the “Feast of the Entry of the Lord Christ into Egypt.” He noted that the Egyptian state has recognized this event and has developed 25 sites along the Holy Family’s route, affirming that Egypt is truly the land of saints.
Regarding unifying the Feast of Resurrection date, Pope Tawadros expressed his appreciation for the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy’s interest in this matter. He explained his vision concerning this, and that according to the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), the Church of Alexandria was given the responsibility of determining the date of the Feast of Resurrection each year. This was carried out by Pope Alexander, who attended the council, and later by Pope Athanasius and other patriarchs. They would calculate the date and communicate it to all Churches worldwide through the Paschal Letter.
The Church of Alexandria based its calculations of the Feast of Resurrection on three main criteria:
- It must fall after the spring equinox.
- It must be after the Jewish Passover, never before or during it.
- It must be on a Sunday.
He highlighted the Church of Egypt’s historical expertise in astronomy and mathematics.
His Holiness summarized his vision, saying that it is possible to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection Feast on a unified date every year, even if the specific day changes each year. He stated: “In general, Western Churches celebrate this feast without reference to Jewish Passover, but as for us, we observe the first symbol, which is the Jewish Passover, and then we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Christ.”
Pope Tawadros expressed his hope that Christians would use this year’s celebration of the Feast on the same day as a step toward permanently unifying the date in the future, as a sign of the unity of their faith in the resurrection of Christ, the Redeemer and Savior.
He concluded: “I am pleased with this visit and I thank God for Egypt’s good relationships with all your countries you represent. Once again, I welcome you and wish you a pleasant stay with wonderful memories.”
Key Points from His Holiness the Pope’s Speech During His Meeting with Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy
We can celebrate the Feast of Resurrection on the same day worldwide, with this date changing every year according to the system of the Coptic Church.
The Church of Egypt is distinguished by being a Church of teaching and service, a Church of martyrs, and the founding Church of monasticism by St. Anthony, St. Macarius, and many other saints.
The Church of Egypt shows special care towards the visit of the Holy Family to the land of Egypt, and therefore, we celebrate an annual feast for this visit on June 1st of every year, which we call the Feast of the Lord Christ’s Entry into Egypt.
The Egyptian state has taken an interest in the Feast of the Lord Christ’s Entry into Egypt and has developed 25 areas that are considered the path of the Holy Family.
I appreciate the interest of the Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy in the subject of unifying the date of the Feast of Resurrection.
The Western Church, in general, celebrates the Feast of Resurrection without being connected to the date of the Jewish Passover, while we live through the first symbol (i.e., the Jewish Passover) and then celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.
I hope that we, as Christians, will seize the opportunity of celebrating on the same day this year and continue celebrating on a unified date in the coming years as an expression of the unity of our faith in the Resurrection of Christ the Savior and Redeemer.
According to the Council of Nicea’s decree in 325 AD, the Church of Alexandria is responsible for determining the date of the Feast of Resurrection due to Egypt’s excellence in astronomy and mathematics. The Popes of Alexandria would determine the date of the Feast of Resurrection and send it through the Paschal letter to all the Churches of the world every year.
The Church of Alexandria determined the date of the Feast of Resurrection based on three conditions: it must occur after the spring equinox, it must come after the Jewish Passover and not during or before it, and it must fall on a Sunday.
This page is also available in:
العربية
