Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Coptic Catholics consecrate first church in Sinai, against backdrop of martyrdom

Coptic Catholics consecrate first church in Sinai, against backdrop of martyrdom

Last updated on: February 20, 2015 at 9:01 am by CNA Daily News

Coptic Catholics consecrate first church in Sinai, against backdrop of martyrdom 2015-02-20T09:01:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ismailia, Egypt, Feb 20, 2015 / 02:01 am (Aid to the Church in Need).- “The Church in Egypt has been strengthened by the murder of our brothers in Libya.” Such was the reaction of Coptic Catholic Bishop Youssef Aboul-Kheir of Sohag to the beheading of 21 Orthodox Coptic men in Libya by Islamic State affiliates.

The guest workers in Libya "suffered a holy death with prayers on their lips. They went to their deaths just like the early Christians,” the bishop told international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

As fate would have it, Islamic State released gruesome video of the executions on the very day, Feb. 15, that Egypt’s Coptic Catholic Church celebrated the consecration of its first-ever church in Sinai, in the community of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The church is known as Our Lady of Peace: a name chosen by Suzanne Mubarak, wife of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Suzanne, who was educated by Catholic nuns, ensured that construction of the church could proceed after years of delay and opposition by local political leadership. Our Lady of Peace's construction was also made possible through the financial support of Aid to the Church in Need.

“This is a great day of joy for Catholics in Egypt,” the local ordinary, Coptic Catholic Bishop Makarios Tewfik of Ismailia, said at the consecration ceremony.

“We have a number of places of worship in Sinai” – a famous tourist destination where hundreds of hotels line the coast known for its spectacular coral reef – “but these are chapels or even just rooms in normal houses,” he said. “The church of Our Lady of Peace is the first proper church building that was built for the sole purpose of worshiping God.”

Father Bolos Garas, the local pastor, will celebrate three services in the church every Sunday.

“I am a Coptic Catholic priest. However, there are very few Coptic Catholics here: just a handful of families. Most of our faithful are tourists or foreign workers. For this reason I not only celebrate Sunday Mass according to my Church’s rites, but also according to the Roman rites, in both Italian and English,” he said.

The English-language service will primarily cater to Filipinos, guest workers in the local hotel industry, while a sizeable community of Italian retirees who spend winters in Sharm El-Sheikh will hear Mass in their own language.

Patriarch Ibrahim I Sidrak, head of the 200,000-member strong Coptic Catholic Church, presided over the consecration ceremony.

Meanwhile, the brutal killing of the 21 men hangs like a cloud over Egypt’s Christian community, which already faces home-grown Islamic extremism.

"I am afraid of the Salafists in the country,” said Bishop Aboul-Kheir, who added, “they speak with forked tongues. The Muslim Brotherhood is opposed to society anyway. So there exists an internal danger in Egypt itself."

Egypt’s Christian leaders are concerned that extremists may be voted into power during upcoming parliamentary elections.

The new parliament should ensure that “Christians will finally be able to live as equal citizens," the bishop said, stressing that among other rights, religious liberty for all should guarantee the freedom to construct new churches.

Bishop Aboul-Kheir called on the country’s Muslim community to choose moderation.

Its highest theological and intellectual forum, he said, “the Al-Azhar University, is regarded as a moderate force.” However, he continued, “there are many aspects of the institution’s teachings and programs that are anything but moderate. For example, the use of force in cases that are considered apostasy by Muslims” – including their conversion to Christianity – “is justified. This contradicts moderate views.”

Oliver Maksan writes for Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA);www.acnuk.org (UK);www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL);www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN)

Middle East - Africa

Previous Post

February 20, 2015

Rise of racism, exclusion in Europe prompts call for action

Next Post

February 20, 2015 Metal coils and furious women: The stunning controversy behind an FDA-approved birth control

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What traveling companion of Paul was a physician and historian, writing two New Testament books?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Mark Silas Luke Barnabas