Last Sunday, 17 November, Pope Tawadros II presided over Holy Mass at St Mark’s cathedral in Abassiya, Cairo, and consecrated three new bishops
Anba Silwanus was seated as bishop and abbot of the monastery of Anba Pachomeus in Upper Egypt; Anba David was seated as Bishop of New York and New England states; and the monk Seraphim al-Muharraqi consecrated as Anba Karas, Bishop of Mehalla al-Kubra in the Delta.
The Pope delivered a sermon in which he focused on the duties of the servant of the Lord, who should follow in the Master’s footsteps of diligently working for a fruitful service, in peace and love. He reminded of the words of Jesus Christ: “The harvest is truly great, but the labourers are few”, (Luk 10: 2)
On Monday 18 November, the first anniversary of the enthronement of Pope Tawadros, he inaugurated the media centre of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Joining him were Anba Raphail, Secretary-General of the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod; Anba Serapion, Bishop of Los Angeles, Anba Gabriel, Bishop of Vienna and all Austria; and Anba Damian, Bishop of Germany. The Pope offered prayers of thanksgiving and blessed the work, saying the state-of-the-art centre aimed at providing the printed and audio-visual media with data and information on the Coptic Church and whatever went on there. He said the 2000-old Church was a purely Egyptian institution that was part and parcel of the community, serving it fully on all fronts, with love and dedication.
Pope Tawadros II had insisted on no public festivities to mark his first anniversary as pope. He marked the occasion with prayers at the Western Desert monastery of Anba Bishoi in which he had taken orders back in 1989, and by celebrating Mass at St Mark’s in Cairo.
Watani International
19 November 2013