Last week Pope Tawadros II conducted three meetings with representatives of the Bishopric, Melli (Community) Council, laity and volunteer service groups of Assiut parish. The Pope discussed with them the pastoral and historic role of the late Anba Mikhail who was Bishop of Assiut for 68 years until he passed away last November.
A future vision for the service and welfare of Assiut parish after Anba Mikhail was surveyed. Discussions centred on the proposal to assign Bishop-General Anba Yu’annis as the new bishop of Assiut, the possibility of dividing the parish into several smaller parishes, and the services the Church offers the congregation there. The laity from the region of Badaari called for establishing a new bishopric independent from that of Assiut, owing to the geographic distance between Badaari and Assiut.
The Pope confirmed that the Convent of the Holy Virgin on the Western Mountain of Assiut (Dronka) is still affiliated to Assiut Bishopric.
Watani International
23 February 2015