His Holiness Pope Tawadros II held a meeting this afternoon with the congregation of the Church of Saints John the Baptist and Philopater Mercurius (Abu Sefein) in Poland. This comes as part of his current pastoral visit to Poland, which began the day before yesterday, within the 2025 agenda of His Holiness’ pastoral tours.

The meeting began with the “Philomena” Choir performing a selection of spiritual hymns and chants from the rites of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, the Resurrection, and Pentecost. His Holiness praised and encouraged them, expressing admiration for their proficiency in both Coptic and Arabic. He also stood among them for commemorative photos.

His Holiness then inquired about their educational stages and future aspirations. Addressing their parents, he said: “I am very happy that you are raising your children in the embrace of the Church. It is important that the responsibilities of life do not distract us from connecting our children to the Church, because what benefit is it if a person gains everything but does not have the Spirit of God?”

Following this, His Holiness began his sermon, explaining a passage from the Gospel Litany: “For You are the Life of us all, the Salvation of us all, the Hope of us all, the Healing of us all, and the Resurrection of us all.”

He elaborated on five points:

Our Life (through the Incarnation):
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), and He gave us His Body that we might live:
“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:56).

Our Salvation (through the Cross):
By Christ’s death on the cross, we were saved from sin, as St. John the Beloved wrote:
“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Our Hope (through the Holy Bible):
The Bible gives us hope. God’s commandments offer a positive outlook because His Word is living and powerful:
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit” (Hebrews 4:12).
His Holiness asked: “Is your Bible open in your house? It is the source that feeds hope in our lives.”

Our Healing (through the Sacraments):
Through Confession, we lift our sins to the Cross, and through Communion, we receive the Body and Blood of the Lord as life for our souls.
Here, His Holiness led the congregation in singing the hymn, “My Church, My Church, My Church is My Home.”

Our Resurrection (in the Kingdom):
“Our resurrection is not on earth but in heaven, when the Lord calls us: ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'” (Matthew 25:34).

After the sermon, His Holiness answered questions from the attendees and ensured to personally greet and shake hands with each of his children at the conclusion.

Earlier that day, His Holiness had celebrated the Divine Liturgy for Thomas Sunday at the same church.

Before this gathering, His Holiness had also met with a group of members of the sister Ethiopian Orthodox Church residing in Poland, who participated in the Liturgy. His Holiness gave them a word of encouragement, prayed for the blessing of their lives and families, and distributed commemorative gifts to them.

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