This evening, H.H. Pope Tawadros II visited the Shrine of Saint Mark the Apostle at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbassia, commemorating the 58th anniversary of the return of the saint’s relics. Through Saint Mark’s preaching, Egypt received the Christian faith; therefore, he is honored in the Coptic Orthodox Church as the “Evangelist of the Egyptian Lands.”

His Holiness offered a brief prayer at the shrine, including a hymn of glorification in honor of the saint. He then proceeded to the shrine of Hegumen Mikhail Ibrahim, located within the Shrine of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic. This shrine also houses the remains of the late Bishop Samuel, former Bishop of Public, Ecumenical, and Social Services, and the late Bishop Gregorios, former Bishop of Scientific Research, Coptic Culture, and Advanced Theological Studies.

Following prayers and the receiving of blessings from the saints commemorated at the shrine, a special glorification and hymn of praise for Hegumen Mikhail Ibrahim was conducted. The Holy Synod, during its session on May 22 of this year, officially recognized his sainthood. To mark this occasion, His Holiness was keen to visit his shrine.

Thereafter, His Holiness proceeded to the Church of Virgin Mary and Saint Bishoy within the Cathedral complex to deliver his weekly Wednesday sermon.

Before beginning the sermon, Pope Tawadros stated: “I am pleased to be with you in this blessed church and to celebrate together today the 58th anniversary of the return of the relics of Saint Mark during the papacy of Saint Pope Kyrillos VI in 1968. On this very day, the relics were placed in their current shrine, and the first Divine Liturgy was prayed in St. Mark’s Cathedral.”

He added: “I was keen to be present with you today so that we may celebrate together. Visiting the Shrine of Saint Mark, the Shrine of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic, and the Shrine of Father Mikhail Ibrahim are all joyful and beautiful occasions. Today, I will direct my talk to the servants of the Church, since Saint Mark is considered to be the model of the ideal servant throughout the history of our Church.”

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