This morning, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II prayed the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, Apostle of the Egyptian lands, at the Basilica of the Royal Premonstratensian Monastery in Strahov, located in the Czech capital, Prague. The Liturgy comes as part of His Holiness’s current pastoral visit of the Diocese of Central Europe, during which he has already visited Poland, Romania, and Serbia. The Czech Republic marks the fourth stop on this tour.
This historic visit is the first by a Coptic patriarch to the Czech Republic, which is currently under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Central Europe.
Joining His Holiness in the celebration were Their Graces Bishop Giovanni, Bishop of the Diocese, Bishop Gabriel, Bishop of Austria, Bishop Fam, Bishop of East Minya, and Bishop Axios, Bishop of Mansoura, as well as Monk Fr. Emmanuel Al-Muharraqy, Director of the Pope’s Office, Fr. Macarius St. Bishoy and Fr. Antonios Awad from Austria, and members of the Coptic Orthodox community in Czechia.
In his homily, His Holiness expressed his joy at celebrating the feast of St. Mark in a country he visits for the first time, especially during the Holy Fifty Days following the Resurrection — a period he described as deeply spiritual, since the Resurrection is the core of the Christian faith and the true source of joy.
His Holiness elaborated on how the Church celebrates the Resurrection daily, weekly, monthly, and annually — in morning prayers, every Sunday, on the 29th of each Coptic month, and during the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection, known as the “Feast of Feasts.”
Reflecting on the life of St. Mark, Pope Tawadros recounted the saint’s journey on foot from Libya to Alexandria, carrying only a shepherd’s staff symbolizing pastoral care and a cross of faith, driven by his mission to spread the Gospel without worldly means. He emphasized that the seed of faith planted by St. Mark has borne fruit in churches and nations across generations, urging the faithful in the Czech Republic to follow his example by planting seeds of love and faith in their children’s hearts.
His Holiness stressed that the Church’s growth in the diaspora depends on maintaining a strong spiritual life, engaging younger generations, and teaching them to partake in the Church’s sacraments — especially confession and communion — and to uphold Coptic traditions such as prayer, fasting, reading the Holy Bible, and praying the Agpeya at home.
He also conveyed warm greetings from Egypt, blessed everyone personally, inquired about their well-being, and encouraged them to remain connected to the Church and committed to attending its services.
It is worth noting that the Coptic presence in the Czechia dates back about ten years and includes around 100 individuals, comprising roughly 15 families. The Coptic Orthodox Church has been ministering to them by holding bi-monthly Liturgies at the Monastery of the Emmaus Disciples.
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