The Egyptian Coptic Church mourned the martyrs of the Egyptian armed forces who were martyred yesterday after an explosive device exploded in an armored vehicle, south of the city of Bir al-Abd, in Sinai. The Church said their sacrifices are well appreciated after they were killed to defend the homeland, and prayed for reposing their souls and offered sincere condolences to their families. Statement issued by the church added we pray that the Lord preserves our dear homeland from all evil and that he may be blessed with peace and safety.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, said the decision to close churches was not an easy one, but it had to be taken in order to save the people. He added during his interview with TEN satellite channel that it was even more difficult to take that decision during the Great Lent and the Holy Week, which is the holiest day of the year for Coptic Christians.

St. Mark Church in Frankfort, Germany, mourned the departure of its priest Father Bigoul Basili who departed yesterday. Father Bigoul is brother of Bihsop Dermiterious of Mallawy, Ansna and Ashmounin, and his death comes 5 month after his sister Tasoni Angil, wife of the late father Bishoy Kamel, has departed.

The Church of St. Athanasius the Apostle in Siouf, Alexandria, received a sterilization booth presented by the Industrial Service Complex at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, to be recorded as the first church to use such technology for its congregation. The church leaders have offered their thanks to Dr. Ismail Faraj, President of the Arab Academy for this gift.

After a Coptic priest was tested positive for the Corona virus, Coptic activist Isaac Ibrahim, researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, praised the decision to shut down places of worship. He said that such infection may spread the virus among the congregation if the church is open, which may infect thousands of worshippers.

Father Poulos Halim, spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church, denied rumors about reopening churches to perform the evening prayer, stressing that the Holy Synod has not issued such decision. It is worth noting that the Coptic Orthodox Church had previously agreed on a set of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the emerging corona virus, including the closure of churches and monasteries and suspended all church actives

father Dawood Lamey offers the spiritual conference entitled (Oneness), which was prepared for Sydney and Melbourne s dioceses. The conference will be held for 10 days. The sermons will be valid on the official page of Father Dawood

His Eminence Bishop Arsani of the Netherlands headed the Resurrection feast celebrations of the Coptic Church in the Netherlands with the minimal number of participants due to the outbreak of the Corona virus. In his speech, Bishop Arsani congratulated the Coptic people and the Egyptian officials on the feast, and assured that the Day of Resurrection is the greatest Christian feast, which completed the redemption process.

Bishop Pfinutius of Samalout celebrated Maundy Thursday alone at the Cathedral of the Savior of the World in order to limit the spread of the emerging Corona virus . This comes as the Holy Synod has decided to shut down all churches and all activities were cancelled until further notice.

Under the title Aftounf, which is a Coptic word of Resurrection, Pope Tawadros II holds an open meeting with Coptic Youth from Egypt and abroad. Those who want to participate in the meeting were asked to send a 30 seconds video in which they present themselves and pose a question to the Pope. The video should be sent on the inbox of the Coptic Orthodox Church Media Center page, no later than April 16.

As the Coptic Churches are closed due to the Corona virus, Copts decided to celebrate the Holy Week in their own way by opening churches in their homes. Many Copts dedicated a special cornier in their homes for prayers and followed them on TV as they are not allowed to be in the church in the most holy week of the year.

The Coptic Studies Center of Alexandria Library announced the continuation of his activities during the month of April through an online lecture on St. Corona, the Patron Saint of Epidemics and Infectious Diseases. The lecture will be given by Dr. Ezzat Salib, a Coptic heritage expert at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, at 8:00 pm next Wednesday, April 17 on the Facebook page of Alexandria Library.

Coptic Orthodox Church announced that His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, will preside over the prayers of the Holy Week and the glorious Easter Resurrection Mass at the Monastery of St. Bishoy in Wadi El Natroun. This comes amidst closure of the churches to prevent the spread of the emerging Corona virus.

The Cathedral of St. George in Tanta celebrated the third anniversary of its martyrs who were killed in the terrorist attak that targeted the Cathedral on Palm Sunday Mass in 2017. The Cathedral is holding a celebration, praise and chants that will only by broadcast online without allowing the people to attend it due to the Corona virus.

Abba Morkos, Archbishop of Shubra El-Kheima, mourned father, Benjamin Fouad, the priest of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Mary Magdalene in Shubra El-Kheima, who died after priestly service that lasted for 24 years.” The funeral of the priest was held in the presence of his family following the procedures taken due to Corona virus.

The Coptic Orthodox Church, headed by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, announced its support and contribution to all measures taken by the state to confront the spread of the Corona Virus. The church also launched a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of the virus and how to prevent its spreading. It donated 3 million LE to buy respirators and closed all churches and monasteries and candled all celebrations. Moreover, it ordered all sewing workshops in parishes to work in producing medical clothing and accessories.

The Coptic Orthodox Church celebrated today the man born blind Sunday, which is known as the Baptism Sunday. This is the sixth sunday of the great lent, and the story of the man born blind is mentioned in the Holy Bible, specifically in Matthew 21: 28 – 32.

A source in the Coptic Orthodox Church said that His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, will preside over the prayers of the Holy Week and the glorious Easter Resurrection Mass at the Monastery of St. Bishoy in Wadi El Natroun. It is worth mentioning that the prayers will be broadcast on Coptic satellite channels after the Church has announced the continuation of Churches closure during the Holy Week due to the outbreak of the Corona virus.

In a press conference, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced a new archaeological discovery near Giza Pyramids during the sanitization process last week. But, no further information were revealed during the press conference. The country has shut down its museums and archaeological sites till April 15th in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus

The Coptic Church in Tanta mourned the departure of Father Kyrillos Barsoum who died at the age of 66, after spending 29 years in priesthood. Pope Tawadros have offered his sincere condolences to Bishop Paula of Tanta and the congregation of the diocese.

Under the spread of Coronavirus in England, a British couple celebrated their wedding on Face book. The ceremony was held at the Church of St. Matthew in central England and was attended by more than 300 electronic guests.