Two Serbian TV channels and a news agency conducted interviews with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II today, during his current visit to Serbia, which is part of his pastoral visit of the Diocese of Central Europe.
His Holiness expressed his joy at visiting Serbia, affirming the love and cooperation between the Coptic Church and the Serbian Church, and praising the strong relations between the two countries.
In his statements to the official Serbian channel RTS, the national news agency TANJUG, and the religious channel HRAM, His Holiness highlighted that this is the first time the Pope of Alexandria has met with the Patriarch of Serbia, saying:
“We thank God. The Bible teaches us that the love of Christ compels us.”
Regarding the idea of changing the calendar, His Holiness explained that the Coptic Church uses the Coptic calendar, based on the ancient Egyptian calendar and aligned with the Julian calendar, emphasizing:
“We have no intention to change the calendar because it has been ours for 2,000 years — the age of our Coptic Church.”
He pointed out the importance of Orthodox churches speaking with one voice on major issues like atheism and moral matters, saying:
“We must have one voice, and we need to exchange visits and conduct dialogues to foster unity among us.”
His Holiness also discussed the challenges facing the Church, including poverty, education, and the virtual world, which distracts youth from the Church and their identity. He emphasized the Church’s focus on serving children, youth, and families, and visiting every home and person:
“We care that every home has a Bible, a service, a place for worship, and the practice of the sacraments. Youth ministry is a vital service in the Coptic Orthodox Church.”
He affirmed that the Church is deeply rooted, with many monasteries, and its people are strongly connected to monasticism and love the saints.
Pope Tawadros expressed his happiness about visiting Serbia:
“I’m happy to meet you and visit your beautiful country. I’ve read much about it, and I’m pleased to be here. Truly, this visit from our Coptic Church to the Serbian Church is a bridge between the two churches. Communication between us is extremely important, and meeting the Patriarch builds love and cooperation that contribute to promoting peace and collaboration between the two churches in many areas.”
He added:
“I was honored to visit the Patriarch. I felt I was meeting a man of God, full of love. It was a heartfelt meeting. Yesterday, we attended the Divine Liturgy celebrated by the Patriarch at the Church of Saint Sava. We were deeply impressed by the icons and the aesthetic touch, which added a heavenly atmosphere.”
He continued:
“We met with bishops, priests, and deacons. It was a meeting of brotherhood and love.”
His Holiness noted:
“The relationship of love is old. Saint Sava visited Egypt. Although our knowledge in Egypt about the Serbian Church is limited, these visits strengthen communication and understanding. Our relationship is ongoing and strengthens the bridges between the two nations.”
He gave an overview of the Coptic Church:
“The Coptic Church was founded by Saint Mark the Evangelist. It is a living and active Church, and we have a big heart, ready to cooperate and extend love to all the churches of the world.”
He added:
“The Coptic Church was established in the 1st century AD. In Egypt, we are 15 million Copts living alongside 90 million Muslim brothers. We have Copts in 100 countries worldwide — about 3 million — who only started emigrating 60 years ago. Most Copts are deeply attached to their land, the Nile, their history, and civilization.”
His Holiness expressed his thanks to God for the blessing of living in Egypt with religious freedom among Muslim brothers. He invited the Serbian people to visit Egypt, saying:
“Today, Egypt is carrying out many projects for its revival, and we would be happy to welcome you there. Egypt has all means of comfort thanks to its unique location.”
He also affirmed Egypt’s stance on the Palestinian cause:
“Egypt considers the Palestinian cause one of its top priorities and bears it on its shoulders. Egypt has the history and capacity to make peace and uphold everyone’s rights.”
He expressed pride that Egypt hosted the Holy Family in the 1st century AD.
He referred to the Serbian President’s visit to Egypt in July and his meeting with President Sisi, saying:
“We are pleased that there is common ground between us, and we work on the same path for peace.”
Regarding the Coptic Church, His Holiness explained that the Holy Synod consists of 134 metropolitans and bishops, and the Church has 500 churches outside Egypt. Within Egypt and abroad, there are 50 monasteries for monks and 10 for nuns. The churches are known for their vibrant youth and family ministries.
He confirmed that Copts enjoy full citizenship rights like Muslims:
“After the revolution, the situation improved significantly. For example, under President Sisi, the state built the largest cathedral in the Middle East. For the first time in history, the president attended the Christmas Eve Mass.”
He pointed out the role of the Coptic Church in building loving relations with all churches around the world:
“We are members of the World Council of Churches, the Middle East Council of Churches, and the Egyptian Council of Churches. We engage in theological dialogues with various churches.”
His Holiness concluded by saying:
“I thank the Serbian Church and the Patriarch for their love. The presence of Copts here is a new development that opens opportunities for cooperation. A priest visits to care for them, and this proves that the Serbian Church has a big heart that serves everyone. We believe that love never fails.”
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