Coptic Orthodox Church UK
Media and
Communications Office
Coptic Orthodox
Church (Europe)
Media
and Communications Office
Announcement
HG Bishop Angaelos to be enthroned as first Bishop of new
Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London
HG Bishop Angaelos to be enthroned as first Bishop of new
Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London
31 October 2017
HH Pope Tawadros II, Pope of
Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark, and the Holy Synod of the
Coptic Orthodox Church, have decided on the establishment of the new Coptic
Orthodox Diocese of London, and to entrust HG Bishop Angaelos as the first
Diocesan Bishop of London.
The Proclamation of this new
appointment will be made by His Holiness the Pope and the Holy Synod at a
service in Cairo on 11 November 2017.
Bishop Angaelos
will travel back to England, accompanied by a delegation of Metropolitans and Bishops
who will formally enthrone him during a vespers service in the Coptic Cathedral
of Saint George at The Coptic Centre later in the month.
*Ends*
Background:
The
Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, dates back to 10 August 1954 when
it commenced its pastoral and liturgical ministry in London. In February 1969,
a historic Liturgy was celebrated in London by the then Bishop Shenouda, the
late Pope Shenouda III, who encouraged the faithful to hold regular services,
which subsequently led to the hiring of St Andrew’s church in Holborn. Copts
would gather from across the United Kingdom to pray there until 1978 when, returning
to London as Pope Shenouda III, His Holiness consecrated St Mark church in
Kensington as the first Coptic Orthodox parish in Europe.
Since
then, the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland
has become an active member of its respective local, regional and national
communities, serving in a variety of ways across the four nations, equipping
its faithful to be positively contributing and active members in their local
settings. At the core of its pastoral care is a focus on Christian education at
every level and an active youth ministry. The Coptic Orthodox Church also
serves on a wider level through engaging in a variety of benevolent and
advocacy related work.
The
Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland now
has approximately 20,000 faithful across 32 parishes, with the number of these
parishes constantly increasing. These have thus far been served by three
dioceses: the diocese of Birmingham, the Midlands and its affiliated regions, served
by HG Bishop Missael, the Diocese of Scotland, Ireland and North East England,
served by HG Bishop Antony, and the Papal Diocese covering London, the South of
England and South Wales, in which HG Bishop Angaelos has served as His Holiness
the Pope’s delegate since 1999.
His
Holiness Pope Tawadros II and the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church have
now decided to establish the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London.
