5th LOGOS Coptic Youth Forum

Over the course of eight days, from July 26th to August 3rd, 2025, the Fifth LOGOS Coptic Youth Forum for the youth of the Coptic Church from around the world was held. About 300 young men and women from five continents attended, including participants, organizers, and technicians in the Forum’s program, “Return to the Roots,” under this year’s theme: “Connected.” Preparation for the forum took over a year, with overall coordination at every stage carried out by Father Younan Samir (Diocese of Maadi), who served as a friend, leader, and servant to all the organizers and participants.

The idea of the Forums began in 2018 as a carefully studied and well-planned initiative to offer a high-level youth ministry that achieves several purposes: returning to the roots of the Coptic Church in the land of Egypt and enjoying these living roots; strengthening the national bond among young men and women in the embrace of their Church; becoming acquainted with various cultures and languages from the countries the youth came from; and working to preserve the unity of the Church wide spread outside Egypt in more than sixty countries in a practical way. I always say that these forums are like the string of a rosary that binds together many beads, yet in a strong connection, as members of the one Body of Christ, with the “heart” in Egypt—where the Coptic Orthodox Church was founded in the first century A.D.—making it one of the oldest churches in the world and a pioneer among churches in her faith, history, traditions, and ecumenical influence.

These forums are held in a recurring cycle:

1. A year for youth from outside Egypt
2. A year for youth from inside Egypt
3. A year for all the servants of the forums

And so on…

What most distinguishes these forums is that they are “from youth for youth.” The work, preparation, coordination, and program sessions during the forum days are all carried out by youth who have received thorough training and education, offering their service to youth coming from abroad or from dioceses within Egypt. The first step, after setting the date, is for the metropolitans, bishops, and priests in the dioceses to nominate representatives for the forum, with an equal number from both genders. After that, online communication begins between the nominated participants and the organizers, who serve through specialized working groups.

We gladly extend thanks to the official government bodies that contributed to the success of the forum—the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Cairo Airport, the Armed Forces, and the security agencies—for arranging smooth and safe arrivals, travel, and transportation to numerous destinations.

Although the forum’s details are many, we can summarize its events into ten main aspects:

1. The governmental aspect: This included visits from the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Mr. Sherif Fathy; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Migration, Mr. Nabil Habashi; many ambassadors in Cairo; and meetings with various officials at the sites visited by the forum. The Minister of Tourism kindly presented a pharaonic gift to each participant, which left a delightful impression on them.
2. The ecclesiastical aspect: This included celebrating liturgies, praises, and spiritual songs in different languages within a spiritually rich atmosphere. They also joyfully served children at one of the service homes.
3. The touristic aspect: They visited the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, discovered the beauty of Egypt, rich in its destinations, climates, and unique geography, and attended the Sound and Light show at the Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria.
4. The archaeological aspect: They were amazed by the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) and the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria, witnessing the greatness of Egypt and its ancient history.
5. The monastic aspect: Their visit to the Monastery of the Great St. Antony in the Red Sea was a source of great joy, as most were visiting it for the first time. It is the first monastery in the world, where they prayed spiritually uplifting liturgies. They also visited several other monasteries in Wadi El-Natrun.
6. The youth aspect: Participants came from 44 countries, including 15 countries from which youth attended for the first time, such as Togo, Bolivia, Indonesia, and Zambia. Many friendships were formed, and they participated in all the activities together.
7. The cultural aspect: They learned about many cultures and languages. For the first time, there was a young woman from Bolivia who spoke Spanish, and another young woman was needed to translate for her. His Holiness the Pope also held three discussion sessions with them, grouping attendees from Europe; Asia, Africa, and Australia; and the Americas. Additionally, there was an exhibition with around 20 exhibitors presenting their activities and various interests.
8. The artistic aspect: One of the most beautiful segments they enjoyed was the artistic and creative crafts workshop provided by the Safina Creativity Center at St. Mary’s Church in Smouha, Alexandria. They also enjoyed the opening and closing ceremonies with all their performances.
9. The educational aspect: Distinguished Coptic figures in Egyptian society were invited, and participants discussed with them their experiences and visions. They also had the opportunity to attend the Wednesday meeting of His Holiness the Pope, who spoke to them about five roots connecting them to Egypt and answered their many questions.
10. The Scriptural aspect: This included all the program sessions, in addition to deep, spiritually enriching, and ecclesiastical Bible study meetings.

It is a source of pride that this year’s forum came in the midst of the Church’s worldwide celebrations of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Accordingly, the opening ceremony featured theatrical and dramatic scenes on this topic. There was also a magnificent dramatic evening presented by the acting troupe of St. Mary’s Church in Ard El-Golf in an exceptionally creative manner.

The forum achieved all its objectives, foremost among them a strong connection with Egypt and its esteemed place. The participants returned to their countries having truly become ambassadors for Egypt—its reality, beauty, and many tourist destinations—along with its authentic Church, faithful to its history and glorious patriotism. They offered thanks to God and to all the fathers and brethren who contributed their efforts, ideas, and gifts to strengthen the forum in its noble mission for the coming generations.