Coptic
Orthodox Church UK
Media
and Communications Office
Coptic
Orthodox Church (Europe)
Media and Communications Office
Statement by Archbishop Angaelos of London
on the attack on the Church of St Mina in Helwan, Egypt
BBC World News Interview with Archbishop Angaelos of London
on the attack on the Church of St Mina in Helwan, Egypt
30
December 2017
This should be a time at which individuals and
families are preparing to receive a New Year, and in the case of Coptic
Orthodox Christians, to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) on the
7 January according to the ancient Julian Calendar. I am saddened however that
we find ourselves once again mourning the loss of the precious lives of
innocent children, women and men who did no more than attend their local parish
to pray as millions do around the world.
Yesterday’s attack on the Church of St Mina in
Helwan, on the outskirts of Cairo, indeed directly targeted the indigenous
Christian community of Egypt, but alongside the Christians who lost their
lives, there was at least one Muslim member of the security services who paid
the ultimate price to protect his fellow Egyptian citizens exercising their right
to worship.
Even at this painful time, the Christians of
Egypt, who have mourned over 120 members in the past year as a result of
targeted attacks on Churches and individuals, continue to do what they have
done for centuries; they are resilient, forgiving, hopeful, and praying for
Egypt, and its leadership, during this trying time of its contemporary history.
I hope that the extraordinary reaction of this faithful community that I am honoured to call my own might transform the hearts of those who continue to seek its destruction.
I hope that the extraordinary reaction of this faithful community that I am honoured to call my own might transform the hearts of those who continue to seek its destruction.
*Ends*