In his weekly sermon, Pope Tawadros II congratulated the Coptic congregation on the fasting of the Virgin Mary. The sermon was delivered this week at the monastery of St. Mina in Mariout. The fasting lasts for 15 days and is widely celebrated among the Copts.

In the presence of the Egyptian Ambassador and 500 public figures, Sydney Coptic Diocese celebrated the 50th anniversary since the founding of the first Coptic church in Australia. The celebration was attended by 3 Coptic bishops and 500 public figures including the Egyptian Ambassador and Australian governors, MPs and officials.

5 new monks ordain at the Virgin and St. John s Monastery in Ismailia road and 6 new trainees were accepted. The media office of the Coptic Orthodox Church said that the prayers were attended by Bishop Makar of Sharqia and supervisor of the monastery, Bishop Marcus of Damietta, and Bishop Elarion of the Red Sea. The new monks are: Monk Michael, Monk Antonius, Monk Paula, Monk Abdel-Masieh, and Monk Maximus.

Bishop Silwanus, Head of the Monastery of St. Pachomious Al-Shayeb in Luxor, ordained 4 new monks at the monastery. The new monks are Surayal Al-Shayeb, Misael Al-Shayeb, Ishaq Al-Shayeb and Metaous Al-Shayeb. The ordination ceremony was attended by monks and congregation of nearby cities.

Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, received today a number of Coptic youth from Los Angeles, USA. The delegation is currently visiting Egypt for tourism and ministry in Upper Egypt. The Pope also met with a delegation of Maronite youth from the Church of Tire in Lebanon and exchanged gifts with them.

The Coptic Orthodox Church Media Center announced the opening of a new church in the state of Washington by Abba Peter, Bishop of North and South Carolina, Kentucky and the vicar of the Virginia Churches. St. Mark s Church in Washington DC was opened and the first evening prayers were held. It s worth mentioning that Bishop Peter was born in 1974 and emigrated to America at the age of 19, before he joined the monastery and was ordained later bishop by HH Pope Tawadros.

St. George Church in Old Cairo celebrated on Tuesday the commemoration of the arrival of Martyr s relics to the church. 15 deacons were promoted to the rank of Oghnostos (translated reader) on that occasion.

The Coptic Orthodox Church announced the start of the second phase of its project to train 1000 church teachers. The program is sponsored by His Holiness Pope Tawardos II and aims to develop way of teaching and thinking of the Coptic leaders.

The Coptic Orthodox Church Media Center said that His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, witnessed the graduation ceremony of a new batch of St. Virina Nursing Center, which was held at the St. Ruis Theater at the Cathedral of St. Mark in Abbassia. The ceremony was also attended by a number of members of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The media center of the Coptic Orthodox Church said that His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, received on Tuesday the Minister of Transport at the Papal Headquarters. Kamel al-Wazir, who was sworn in as minister of housing in the government of Mustafa Medbouli in March 2019, is an Egyptian military commander and engineer, currently takes the office of the minister of Transport and communications.

The Coptic Orthodox Church is commemorating the Opening of the Cathedral of St. Mark in Abassia in 1968. The cathedral is located at the Monastery of Anba Royce, whig is also known as the monastery trench. On June 25, 1986, the remains of St. Mark the Apostle returned from Rome after having been in the city of Venice, Italy, for eleven centuries in a large religious ceremony, headed by Pope Cyril VI, and witnessed by President Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of Egypt and Emperor Hellaslasi I, of Ethiopia.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, welcomed a delegation of Eritrean priests who are currently visiting Egypt. Pope said that the delegation is ministering in Sweden and are visiting Egypt for 10 days, during which they visited a number of Coptic monasteries and churches.

The Coptic Orthodox Church Media Center revealed that His Holiness Pope Tawadrous II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, received Major General Said Abbas, governor of Menoufia, in the city of Sadat during his inauguration of a new church. It is worth mentioning that the church of the Virgin Mary in Sadat City is part of the Beheira, Matrouh and the five western cities diocese, and they exchanged commemorative gifts at the end of the meeting.

Bishop Maqar of Sharqia ordained a new priest at the church of St. George in Awlad Saqr. The new priest father Philopatri Karam moved to the Monastery of the Virgin Mary in the valley of Natroun to spend 40 days of spiritual retreat according to the Coptic rituals.

The writer Fatma Naout called the Egyptian government to recognize the feast of the entry of Christ to Egypt as an official holiday. She added that it is very important to teach the young generation about the visit of the holy family to Egypt.

In an official message to the Coptic Orthodox community around the world, President Donald Trump congratulated the Copts on Global Coptic Day on June 1, 2019. The statement, dated June 1, 2019, reads in full as follows: "I send my warmest greeting to the Coptic Orthodox community as they celebrate the inaugural Global Coptic Day. For centuries, the Coptic Orthodox Church has been an integral part of the faith community. As June 1, 2019, marks the first Global Coptic Day, it is my hope that today provides a renewed sense of purpose for the millions of Coptic Christians in the Middle East and around the world.

American Youth Bishopric held seminar attended by 117 youth from university students and fresh graduates. The media center of the Coptic Orthodox Church said that the meeting started with the Holy Mass, followed by a discussion of the theme of "The Other" and the art of interactive dialogue.

Bishop Mikhail of Qubba Gardens perfumed the remains of St. Demiana in Waily. A statement issued by the church s media center added that Bishop Boutros of Shebin El Qanater also celebrated the feast of St. Demiana at her church in Mit Kenana village, where he ordained a number of deacons.

The governor of the German city of Unna presented a memorial gift to His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, who is currently visiting the city. A statement issued by the Information Center of the Coptic Orthodox Church, said that the gift is a picture containing the most important features of the city. Pope Tawadros II is currently visiting Germany for several days in a pastoral care visit to the Coptic community there.

During his pastoral care visit to Germany, HH Pope Tawadros II visited Düsseldorf city where he was received by its Mayor Mr. Konsen. It is worth mentioning that Mr. Konsen has helped the Coptic Church buy a church in Düsseldorf.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II called to present gifts of the holy bible instead of regular gifts. This came during his recent visit to the Bible House.